


Of Crowns, Control, and Centaurs

by Yumberduddle



Category: Shining Force (Video Games)
Genre: 69, Adultery, Avian sex, Canon Divergence, Centaur, Corruption, Dom/sub, Double Dildo, Elf, Elf Sex, F/F, Fingerfucking, Fisting, Foursome - F/F/F/F, Furry, Furry Sex, Implied/Referenced Incest, Implied/Referenced Orgy, Improvised Sex Toys, Lesbian Sex, Lesbian pregnancy, Love Between Queen and Knight, Masturbation, Masturbation (Centaur), Mind Control, Minor Original Character(s), Multiple Endings, Oral Sex, Piercings, Romance, Sexual Slavery, Sexual instruction, Strap-Ons, Talon Worship, Threesome - F/F/F, Transformation, Tribadism, Voyeurism, Yuri, avian - Freeform, centaur sex, foot sex, magic pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-22
Updated: 2017-12-13
Packaged: 2018-08-10 07:21:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 73,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7835380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yumberduddle/pseuds/Yumberduddle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shining Force 1. A story of the love that bloomed between the queen and her knight...and the sinister corruption that tested it.</p><p>Canon Divergent from Chapter 2 onward.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The Shining Force was on the move, heading from Prompt towards the Gate of Runefaust and hopefully the war's end. Mae, daughter of Varios and second in command of the Shining Force, trotted at the center of the line of warriors. She looked over the troops, and reflected on how different things had been since the war had begun. Everyone had changed since then, most of all her. As second in command to Max, she was entrusted to lead the Shining Force when he was absent, make sure everyone was battle-ready, and compile reports for him to look over. He seldom did that last part, much to her irritation. Max DID read them occasionally, and he DID listen to her advice, but he was not nearly as ordered and military minded as Mae was. He liked to keep things loose, allowed most of the standard army regulations to be disregarded, and often used unconventional means to keep morale and training up. Mae sighed, and admitted silently that perhaps this was how he managed to keep such a diverse band of warriors as the Shining Force in such sync with each other. If she had been leader, she'd have had everyone in uniforms, marching formations with strict discipline. She often wondered how much more or less effective her approach would be if she had been chosen instead of Max. Would these troops follow her as easily as they did the bold swordsman? She looked over her battle-companions, her eyes lingering on her queen, the mage Anri.

The young princess was walking ahead of her, her ice blue eyes alert and ready. Mae noted with admiration that the many battles had toned her physically. Any fat that had lingered due to a life spent in study rather than physicality was long banished by the war. When she had first joined the Shining Force, Anri had struggled to keep in step, not used to traveling long distances on foot or the continued demands of the body by battle. Mae recalled offering to let her ride on her back once or twice, a very rare act for a proud centaur, but the princess was equally proud, refusing any help until she had gotten used to the exertion. She had no trouble keeping up now. Her form still wasn't athletic, but she probably had a small bit of muscle now, under those robes. That body under those robes, the smooth curves and full breasts, the silky hair and soft lips...

Mae licked her lips at the thought, then caught herself and shook her head. Where did that come from?! She was a knight and Anri was now her ruling monarch. Such thoughts were improper of a knight. Mae shook it off and walked on, but the thoughts refused to leave completely, lingered at the back of her mind the whole march to Prompt. Mae tried to focus on other thoughts, battle strategies, training drills, what to ask Lowe to cook for the team's dinner, running her hand up Anri's smooth le- damnation!

Mae shook her head again and growled lightly. Ken was next to her and gave her a curious glance, but assumed his superior officer had been bitten by a fly and turned back . Mae glowered silently. She'd never had much interest in boys growing up, always been busy training with lance and armor, always been completely focused on her career. She never gave it much thought, she always assumed it would hit her when the right person came along. Then her father had been slain in front of her and anything but revenge was blotted out from her mind for a long year of fighting across Rune. Kane was dead now, her vengeance satiated. Her mind was beginning to return to thinking of other things... and lately it had been thinking mainly of Anri. It was almost like SHE was the right...

"Oh Light..." Mae whispered to herself as realization crashed into her. "I've got a crush on Anri."

"What was that?" Ken asked, turning again.

"Oh! I said we're going to crush the enemy," Mae said, pretending to scan her surroundings for any possible hidden foe.

"Damn straight we are!" Ken said, grinning and clapping an armored hand on Mae's back. "Between your expertise and Max's talent, you'll lead us all to victory!"

"Yes... Yes we will," Mae said, firmly. Her mind was no longer on the battlefield though, and would not be for long after the group stopped for a break.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

The march was a long one, and Mae was glad for it. She needed the opportunity to get her thoughts in order, or at least try to. A crush... on her ruling monarch? Mae had been told stories of knights falling in love with their queens and valiantly fighting for their love and honor as a child, but she never thought she'd end up being one of them! Especially since in the stories the knights and queens were usually of the same species and different genders, not different species and the same gender!

She shook her head and thought harder. She had a crush on another woman, that didn't bother her. In retrospect, it made a lot of sense given how little she cared for the attentions lavished on her by her fellow knights and the many attempts at winning her heart she had endured. The strange sensations she felt when looking at some of the castle maids when they were cleaning and bent over just a little too far, or the way she tingled when she overheard some of the bawdy tales senior knights told in the training fields suddenly became perfectly explainable. Suppressing years of sexual desire to focus on a goal, then suppressing it further to focus on revenge left Mae completely inexperienced, but now that she wasn't immediately shoving such thoughts to the very back of her mind, it all became clear. That she apparently was a lesbian didn't bother her, but to desire the princess?! The princess soon to be her queen?!

Relationships between royalty and the knighthood were a thing of fantasy precisely because they were strictly forbidden, and as far as Mae knew, for good reason. A monarch's duty was to govern her people and secure their future. Part of this meant acting exemplary, with the utmost honor, and part of this meant securing a marriage with another royal family, or at the very least high nobility to strengthen the nation's position, not to mention an heir. An affair with another woman would destroy all of that in one fell swoop. Anri was Guardiana's queen, not hers, she had no right to rob her nation of someone so vital to its future. It would be best, it would be proper to stop thinking about this right now.

Mae kept thinking about it the whole march. No matter how hard she tried to push it out of her mind, once she realized her desire for Anri, it would not leave her. As the troops marched, her eyes kept wandering back to the royal mage, her thoughts as well. In her mind, they were naked in a meadow, pressing their bodies against each other as they kissed passionately. Anri's soft, full lips were on hers, her tongue was trailing over her flesh, her hands were creeping up towards her heaving breasts...

Finally, she came to an inner compromise. There was no harm in fantasizing, right? So long as she kept her composure and continued to serve her queen as true and faithfully as any of Guardiana's knights, she could keep whatever desires began to boil within her under lock and key. She had suppressed her sexuality for over a decade now, she could keep on doing so. She'd just let her imagination run its course. Mae yielded and allowed her fantasies to fill her mind as she marched on with the rest of the Force around her. She could afford an afternoon of daydreaming. Mae marched along, her eyes distant, and a slight smile on her face as she let her mind go free and wild. Everyone assumed that the centaur's newly found mellow attitude was due to the closeness of victory.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

Max whistled and called for a rest before continuing the march. Everyone sighed in relief and began to search around for tree stumps or rocks to sit on. Hans sat down on a log and pulled off a long boot, emptying several rocks and twigs out from it with a doleful expression. Luke and Gort chuckled greedily as they pulled flasks from within their coats of mail and began to indulge in a bit of Dwarven Classic. Domingo plopped on top of Earnest's head and started snoring, the grim knight immediately pulling him off and dropping him on a pile of leaves. Anri pulled out a book and quietly began to read. A soft undercurrent of chatter began to fill the air as Mae inwardly thanked the gods.

Mae was never so glad as to hear Max call for a rest as she was now. The attempt at letting her imagination run its course had had just the opposite effect she wanted. It brought her desire to a raging boil. She felt like her skin was on fire, like every step was a taunt for a lust that couldn't be satiated, like her mind was surrounded by a soft perfumed cloud. She could put an end to all of that right now. Amon and Balbaroy were on sentry duty, and she asked for some privacy, though she didn't bother to specify what sort of relief she sought. She went off into the woods after her whispered excuse, making sure to put a fair distance between her and the others before stopping.

Mae looked around and made sure she was alone in the woods at least four times before she finally calmed the butterflies in her stomach and opened the bag she'd brought with her. Centaurs didn't have a lot of options for self-relief thanks to their unique physiology, but that didn't mean they were helpless in that regard. She withdrew what looked like a large strap-on with some odd modifications from the bag and trotted over to a tree. Taking the sex-toy, she carefully secured it in place on the tree and turned around, backing up slowly as she let her fantasies take over.

Mae's nethers lightly bumped against the smooth surface of the strap on and in her mind it was not held in place by a tree, but by her queen, smiling mischievously. Mae's hands began to work at her breasts as she began to press herself against the toy, imagining Anri pushing the object deeper and deeper inside of her, cooing words of affection and lust. The need that had been steadily building in her loins seemed even more urgent now. There was a beast inside of her, and it would not leave unless she obeyed. It wasn't her hands kneading the small mounds of smooth flesh at her front, they were Anri's. She was putting her hands under Mae's as she licked her neck and lightly nibbled her shoulder. Her hot breath warmed her exposed flesh before lips lightly kissed her breasts. A tongue flicked at her nipple, then withdrew. Mae's mouth opened for an imaginary kiss as she pressed herself harder on the toy. Anri was behind her, pumping a dildo in and out of her, she was lightly licking at her folds, she was running her fingers around her entrance, she was rubbing her whole body against her... Mae's mind cycled through Anri performing every sexual or act of love she could think of on her, her entire body feeling aflame with desire as she felt release inch closer and closer. In her mind the dignified princess, the brave wizardess, the lovely beauty, she was all over her, just as mad for Mae as she was for her. Finally Mae imagined Anri slowly and steadily pushing her fist into her and her vaginal muscles clamped shut on the strap as lightning shot through her body and her liquids flowed freely from her trembling slit.

Mae let out a stifled gasp as her orgasm came fast and hard, washing over her like a wave of warm water and causing her to slump back a little onto the tree that had served so dutifully as her stand in. Mae stood there unmoving for a while, lost in the afterglow of her pleasure. How good would it feel if it actually happened? If Anri really did make love to her instead of a toy strapped to a tree? How would it feel to be able to feel real flesh under her hands, to taste Anri's mouth with an exploring tongue?

Mae let those thoughts hang in her head before coming back to reality and extricating herself from the toy. She pulled out a towel from the bag and hung it over the strap, using it carefully to clean her fluid soaked nethers up. Looking around one more time to make sure no one saw, she carefully cleaned the strap on off and put it back in the bag with the towel before trotting back to meet up with the others.

  
**\--- C --- C --- C---**

  
Two weeks and two pitched battles later, the Force was now making camp a stone's throw from the very Gate of Runefaust itself. Everyone walking around a large clearing in the forest pitching tents, organizing supplies, preparing cook-fires for the evening meal, and generally laboring over something that wasn't fighting for their lives for once. Mae crossed her arms and nodded with a smile as she watched her friends and fellow warriors go about their business. She and Max had just spent the last fifteen minutes barking orders, organizing watch-order, and making sure that certain members of the Force weren't trying to dip into the rations before meal time. Mae's expression briefly soured at the memory of Lowe's hurried explanations about that, some hogwash about 'second breakfast', 'afternoon tea', 'supper', and various other halfling invented excuses. At least Earnest and Ken managed to keep Vankar away from the very small stock of liquor the Force had brought with them. Right now, there was little for her to do save pitch her own tent, but she allowed herself a brief moment to make sure everyone else was doing their jobs before attending to her own.

Mae's watch was interrupted by approaching footsteps as the centaur-knight turned and briefly started.

"Prin- Ah, Queen Anri!" Mae said, immediately drawing herself up for a salute as befitted a monarch. "How can I help your majesty?"

"Princess..." Anri said with a slight smile. "I haven't been properly coronated yet, remember?" the humor faded from her face. "...and I won't be until this war finishes." She shook her head. "But even if I were, just call me Anri. There's no need for ceremony out here."

"As you wish, Pr-, I mean, Anri," Mae said, gulping. "How can I help you?"

Anri laughed a little, Mae found herself wishing she could listen to that sound forever.

"Always so formal and disciplined. You really are Guardiana's first and foremost knight, aren't you?" Anri said with a teasing wink. "I didn't come over here for anything you could do for me, though. I came over because I noticed you've been looking at me a lot for the past few weeks or so."

"...you have?" Mae asked. Her heart began to pump faster, adrenaline began to seep into her system. A single thought looped in her mind. Did she know?

"I have. I wanted to say I appreciate you looking out for me, but I don't need to be constantly watched over," Anri stated, almost as if she was giving a formal reprimand. "I've proven myself time and again as a combat mage with the Force. I don't need a babysitter no matter what my status is."

She didn't.

"Forgive me, my pr-, forgive me Anri," Mae said, effecting a short bow at her waist. "I didn't mean to imply you needed anything like that. It's just that you're... you're the leader of my people. I'd be a poor knight if I wasn't concerned for you, especially with the kind of enemies we fight."

Anri frowned and tapped her lip with one delicate finger. "I suppose you have a point. All the same, I want you to know I don't need looking after." Anri smiled a little. "I bet I'm just as capable of watching out for you as you for me."

"I'm sure you are your majes- ah, Anri," Mae caught herself again. She really needed to work on that. "My father told me a monarch's duty is to watch over all her people, so I won't deny your words. I would be honored if you watched me as I watched you. Watched over you, I mean."

Anri arched an eyebrow at the slip and Mae inwardly kicked herself with both hooves. She was a veteran knight, she should have more control than this! Anri didn't comment though, merely smiled.

"I will be sure not to disappoint then," Anri said. "Though I will ask what prompted this? You always kept an eye out for me in the past, but lately it seems you're really taking the bodyguard act to heart."

Mae almost said that guarding her body was a privilege, but stopped herself in time.

"With Kane dead..." Mae paused. "I've been thinking about my priorities. You come high on the list."

"I do?" Anri asked.

"You will be my queen," Mae said with as much solemnity as she had ever had. "I am a knight. You are my future... Guardiana's future. Even if it wasn't my job, I would protect you with everything I am. And..." Mae paused again. "You are kind, gentle, and wise. Even if you weren't royal, you would deserve someone to protect you. Even if you do not strictly need the protection."

Mae wanted to add how beautiful she was to the list, but did not. She wanted to confess her growing desire for her but did not. She had that much discipline at least. Ignorant of the inner turmoil Mae was dealing with, Anri smiled again, a soft but brilliant smile.

"Thank you Mae. When you put it like that, I guess having your eyes on me isn't so bad," Anri said. "Though if you have eyes on me, I'll be having them on you. Fair is fair."

Mae nervously clomped her back hoof against the dirt, not sure what to make of the odd turn of phrase.

"Of course, Anri," she said.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Anri asked. "I like my name more than any title, and when I'm queen, I suspect I will having to hear far too many of them."

"Anri!" a cheerful voice called from closer to the campfire. Mae knew Tao's voice when she heard it. "Can you come here for a minute? I've got a question about mana manipulation for the higher tier blaze magic!"

Anri sighed.

"Well, duty calls. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me, Mae. I think I understand you a bit better now," Anri said, turning. "See you at dinner."

"Yes your ma- yes, Anri. See you at dinner," Mae said, both happy and sad the talk was over. She had come close to making a fool of herself several times, but she found even talking to Anri now gave her a mild feeling of giddiness. Mae began setting up her own tent, and it wasn't until later that she wondered if she had concealed her thoughts as well as she thought she had.

  
**\--- C --- C --- C---**

  
A centaur's tent isn't quite the same as a human's, mostly due to the difference in size and the fact that a bedroll can't accommodate someone with the lower half of a horse very well. Centaur tents were therefore by necessity larger and more spacious, designed as a scaled down pavilion tent with a smaller flap entrance for privacy. A large pile of oversized cushions or pillows served as bedding, and an especially strong and sturdy pole was used as the tent support due to the tendency some centaurs had to kick while sleeping. It was difficult for an army on the move to carry such things along with all their other supplies, so the Shining Force only had three to split between its complement of centaur knights. Mae had one entirely to herself as she was the only female centaur on the force, and that was a small indulgence she happened to greatly enjoy.

Her armor was carefully laid out along with all of her gear on one side of her tent, her own pile of cushions on the other. Out of her armor Mae just wore a simple white shirt. She owned few other clothes given she spent most of her time in her armor. She was just about ready to collapse onto the cushions and enter a deep and well deserved sleep when she heard someone gently rapping against the cloth flap that acted as her tent's 'door'.

"Come in," Mae said, turning to face the entrance. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw who it was. "Anri?"

"Good evening Mae," Anri said, entering the tent and letting the flap close behind her. "I was hoping to catch you shortly after the evening meal, but I got held up by Tao again. Maybe it's for the best. I was hoping we could talk a little more?"

Anri stepped forward and seemed to bite her lip a little bit, her hands behind her back. Mae thought she seemed nervous, but what for?

"Of course, of course," Mae said, looking around the tent. "I'd offer you a seat, but... well you can sit on my cushions if you want."

"That's all right," Anri said. She walked towards Mae until only a few feet separated them. Mae felt her heart began to beat faster. Anri kept her eyes on Mae. "You seemed awfully distracted when we talked earlier."

"I had a lot on my mind," Mae said, which was true. "I'm not the best with words even when I'm at my best."

"That's not true," Anri said. "Your words are simple and direct, and sometimes those are the sorts of words that are needed. Others may dance around the subject or talk a lot and say nothing, but when you open your mouth, you say something that needs to be said. At least, most of the time." Anri looked down for a moment. "More than that, you know that sometimes actions speak louder, truer than words."

"Thank you," Mae said, unsure of what to say to this, and suddenly aware that Anri had closed the distance between them to a mere foot. Anri looked up, into Mae's eyes. Then she leaned forward, gently held her face with both hands, and kissed her. Her tongue slipped into the centaur's mouth and lingered there, exploring in pleasant swirls. Mae's eyes shot open in shock. A surge of pleasure shot through her, and for a moment she returned the kiss, her own tongue passionately intertwining with Anri's. She tasted sweet, and all Mae's mind was on the sensation of her tongue sliding over her queen's. Her nose was almost driving into her cheek. She inhaled deeply and noted Anri smelled faintly of vanilla. A thought faintly tickled her mind through the haze of pleasure that this was technically her first kiss. Her first kiss was with the monarch she was sworn to protect, the future queen of her country! Then she came back to her senses. Mae pushed Anri off, her face beet red.

"An... Anri?!" she shouted in shock as Anri stumbled back. "What... What was that?"

"Desire!" Anri said, looking at Mae with helpless longing. "I haven't been able to get you out of my head for a long time. I can't stop thinking about you..." Anri took a step closer and drew her face close to Mae's. "Your strong eyes... Your steel muscles..." Anri put her arms around Mae and the knight offered no resistance. "Your hard body... I know it's wrong for a queen to think such thoughts, but I can't help it. I'm no idiot, Mae. When I saw your looks and how you stumbled over your words, I thought... well, I thought you felt the same."

Mae felt herself tense. Anri was describing something like she herself had gone through. But those thoughts were banished as Mae's senses were thrown into chaos. Anri gently bit Mae's ear, nibbling on it softly, then began to lick her cheek. She could feel the soft mounds of her breasts pressing against her own through their clothes, the touch of her tongue sent electricity down her spine.

"I want you..." Anri whispered, both of her hands now once again clutching the sides of Mae's head. "All the concerns and worries I've had keep being banished by that one fact. I want you. Don't you want me?"

Mae looked at Anri longingly for a moment before her will broke, all thoughts of station, rank, and knightly code fleeing before the increasing and all consuming need that was running through her body. She whispered her reply.

"Yes..." Mae said as she returned Anri's embrace, her arms encircling her sovereign with tightly controlled passion. Anri's hands ran through Mae's hair as their lips met for a long and sultry kiss. Anri and Mae's tongues wrestled with each other, their mouths battling until at last, they had to come up for air with a gasp of ecstasy. "Oh gods, yes..."

"Make love to me," Anri said, stepping back and slowly opening her robe, letting it fall off her. Mae let her eyes feast on the queen's exposed flesh as she undressed, slowly undoing the undergarments she wore beneath her robe. The moonlight shone off her pale, ivory skin, her long legs, her large breasts. Two large locks of her silver hair rested against those pale mounds, and Mae licked her lips at the sight. Her hands absentmindedly massaged her own breasts as she watched. Mae always thought they were of a fair size, but Anri's were truly magnificent. Her breasts were large, but not too big, full, and shapely. Mae began to pull up her shirt as Anri kicked her robe to the side. Anri smiled in delight when she finished, taking a moment to admire Mae's pert breasts and toned abs just as the knight was admiring her naked form. Anri noticed Mae's attention and stepped forward, her hands grasping her bare breasts, lifting them up and down and squeezing them together.

"Look all you want," she said. Her voice then dropped to a whisper. "Or do more than look... these are all yours tonight."

"I never thought I'd be able to do this," Mae groaned as her muscled arms moved around Anri. Her mouth moved down and nibbled on one of the queen's large, soft breasts. Anri leaned back in Mae's arms and moaned as Mae's tongue swirled around her sensitive nipple, her lips sucking her bosom. Anri shivered in pleasure as she felt the strength of the other woman around her. The queen ran her hands through Mae's golden locks as she pressed the centaur's head against her breasts, trying to make her vocalization quiet, lest they be heard. For her part, Mae sucked, nibbled, and licked at Anri's exposed chest with gusto. Her tongue lightly flicked against a nipple only to kiss it a moment later, her eyes meeting Anri's as the queen looked down at what she was doing with a serene expression. Mae suddenly opened her mouth wide and slowly licked up from just below Anri's left breast, over her nipple, up to her neck, and finally up to her mouth. The pair fiercely kissed once more, crushing their bare chests against each other as their hands ran over each other's backs.

"Mae... oh, Mae..." Anri whispered, as Mae withdrew, looking into Anri's eyes again before meeting her mouth for another long kiss. When that was done, Mae moved onto Anri's other breast and worked that for a while, the queen cooing appreciatively. Anri ran her hands over Mae's back again, this time more slowly, feeling each muscle in the powerful warrior's back and gently rubbing them as Mae did nearly the same. The two's passion slowed for a moment as they took some time to simply explore each other's physique. Anri felt increasingly turned on by the raw strength she felt behind Mae's arms, and Mae was amazed at just how soft Anri felt under her hands.

"You are so hard... Look at all these muscles," Anri murmured continuing to rub Mae's well toned back. Something in Anri thrilled at the touch of the steely muscles under soft skin against her. Mae smiled.

"Let me show you what these muscles can do," she whispered.

Mae grabbed Anri by her bottom and lifted her up until her slit was right up to her face. Anri yelped in surprise and grabbed Mae's shoulders, then the main tent support for balance as the centaur-knight began to run her tongue all around the queen's nether regions. With a barely contained zeal, Mae lapped at Anri's clitoris, wriggling her tongue all around the sensitive nub until her queen squealed with delight. The air was filled with her pleasured moans as Mae tasted her again and again and again, her tongue writhing all over Anri's most sensitive place. Anri felt like she was going to melt, she had never in all of her life felt this good, it feel like an electric current of pure ecstasy was pulsing through her. She found that thinking about the fact that it was Mae making her feel this way almost doubled it! Mae was pleasuring her, her knight, her comrade, now... her lover. Anri thought about that as Mae continued her untiring work. Mae as her lover... it felt right.

This brief train of thought was interrupted most pleasantly by the sudden release of her building tension. Anri let out a quiet cry, muffling herself by biting her fist as she had the most intense orgasm she had ever known. She came hard, splashing all over Mae's face as a wave of relief washed over her. Mae lapped up Anri's juices and looked at her, eyes half-closed as she gently lowered her back to the ground. Anri took a moment to recover her balance, then softly smiled as the sight of Mae trying to clean herself off.

"I'll handle that," Anri whispered as she leaned forward to run her tongue over Mae's face, cleaning up the mess she made and elicited soft sighs from her new lover. When she was finished, a gleam shone in her eye. "Now... Let me do one better."

Anri sauntered over to the pile where Mae had tossed her gear and searched for a while Mae frowned.

"What are you looking for?" she asked. "There's nothing but... oh. Oh! Wait!"

It was too late. Anri found a certain bag and pulled from it a long strap-on, waving it around triumphantly and giving Mae a sly wink.

"I thought I might find one of these around here. There are a few rumors circulating around camp about what you do off by yourself some nights," Anri said. Mae flushed crimson, which only seemed to delight Anri more as she belted the toy on. She pointed to the tent support she had leaned against earlier.

"I suggest you lean on that," she said, approaching. Mae did as was told, comprehension and a certain excitement dawning on her in quick succession. She turned away from Anri and grasped the thick strut that held up the center of the tent. She waited, her nethers moistening even further as she anticipated any moment the touch of that smooth member against her eager pussy. She was tempted to look behind her, but stifled it. Not knowing... not knowing made it better, somehow. She didn't have to wait long, a soft feather touch of something playing about her other lips. Mae moaned and grasped the pole tighter.

"Anri, please..." Mae said, the words barely leaving her lips before she felt a pair of hands grab her rump and something long and hard enter her, a jolt of pleasure that only increased as she turned and saw Anri with a firm grasp on her rear, slowly and steadily pushing the toy into her. Mae couldn't help but let out a long and low groan as she watched her queen penetrate her with the same toy she'd used for countless nights to relieve herself temporarily of loneliness. It was the same toy, they were the same motions... but it was Anri penetrating her. It was Anri pleasuring her. These thoughts ran non-stop around Mae's mind, her hands going from the tent pole to her own breasts as she discovered she had enough balance without needed to lean on anything despite Anri's vigorous thrusts. Mae kept watching Anri, tweaking her own nipples and grasping them with increasing force as her queen began to pick up speed. Anri's perfect rack jiggled and shifted with each thrust. Mae drank in the sight, licking her own breasts as best she could in place of Anri. A light sheen of sweat was beginning to cover the queen from the continued physical exertion, and this only aroused Mae more. Her vagina was greedily swallowing the length of the strap, the familiar feeling of tension beginning to build up into a wonderful release.

"Keep... Keep going! I'm almost there!" Mae almost shouted to Anri, who said nothing in return, but grinned mischievously and began to thrust even harder. Anri continued to pound into Mae, letting loose a year's worth of pent up lust that had accumulated during the war. Every sinful thought she had ever had, every fantasy of naked flesh against her ran through her head as she moved her hips. Every temptation denied her due to her royal birth boiled forward. Finally allowing her own sexuality to run free, Anri found the outpouring of lust enabled her to continue with an energy she didn't know she had. Each moan and gasp of pleasure that Mae let out seemed only to stoke her fire, redoubling her efforts as the toy teased her own pussy with each thrust. Finally Mae grabbed the pole and let out a barely restrained cry as her insides clamped down on the strap-on, her cum gushing forth as Anri slowed her sawing, exhaustion finally beginning to claim her.

"That was a little loud," Anri noted as she began to take off the toy.

"It's your own fault. Here... give me that..." Mae said, reaching for the strap-on as Anri unbuckled it. The knight adjusted a few of the straps and began fitting it to her front with an adoring smile. "I want to see your face." Mae finished the work and reached for Anri. "Come here..."

Anri stepped forward into a tender embrace, Mae pressing her body hard against hers as their lips locked again. Mae exulted in the feel of Anri's soft flesh on her front, savored the tiny jolts of pleasure she received from her sensitive nipples rubbing against hers. She teased Anri by sliding the stiff rod attached to her between the princesses' legs, hearing a quiet sigh from her as she buried her head in her neck. Mae held Anri close as she began gently nibbling there, then took her head in both hands and kissed her as passionately as she could. A second later, her hands slide down Anri's sides and to her buttocks, lifting her up as she pushed herself in. Anri's cry of pleasure was immediately muffled by Mae's dominating mouth. Feeling a heady surge of power as she watched her lover writhe and gasp under her strong thrusts, Mae began picking up the pace, going faster and faster while she looked into Anri's eyes and kissed her again and again, hardly giving her time for air as she let loose a side of her she'd kept chained for years in much the same way Anri did just a few moments before.

"Don't stop!" Anri begged as she wrapped her legs around Mae's midsection. Mae didn't respond with words, instead moving her head down to suck at Anri's left breast while her hands grabbed and fondled her ass, forcefully thrusting into her all the while. Anri let out a low and guttural moan, an orgasm coming soon. Mae kept going, only increasing as Anri tried in vain to stop herself from giving out increasingly loud moans and cries as multiple orgasms clenched her body with ecstasy, one after the other.

  
**\--- C --- C --- C---**

  
"What's that sound?" Vankar asked Ken. The two centaurs had drawn watch and were currently patrolling the perimeter of the camp. Muted, muffled voices, the words unintelligible struck their ears.

"Is that... Mae?" Ken asked, frowning as he strained his hearing.

"Yeah, but who's... oh... oh, I know that voice. It's Anri!" Vanker said, snapping a finger. He looked from side to side, trying to determine the direction of the sound. "What are they doing?"

"Hah!" Ken laughed. "I bet ol' Mae's got Anri training with her! She's always worried about her, I bet she's insisting she try to prepare herself for when her magic runs out!"

"Ah, I get it," Vankar nodded. He frowned. "Someone should tell them when they get back to keep it down next time, though. The way they're going at it, someone might get the wrong idea!"

  
**\--- C --- C --- C---**

  
The two intertwined their bodies and thrust, bucked, and pressed against each other for an hour more before they slowed, falling into each others' arms as they collapsed on the pile of cushions that served as Mae's bed. They stared into each others' eyes, tired, satisfied smiles spread on their faces as they managed but a few more loving caresses before Anri turned and simply let Mae hold her. Even if either of them had thought of something to say, the words would have been useless, superfluous. The soft sound of each others' breathing was the only thing they listened to as they basked in the afterglow of the act.

When they finally had enough energy to move again, it was in the dead of night. Mae began shrugging on her shirt, while Anri pulled on her robe. Mae couldn't help but give her one last caress, sliding her hand over the queen's curved backside, savoring the shape beneath the cloth. Anri smiled at her new lover's lewd act and kissed her once more before moving for the tent flap. Mae shifted on her pile of cushions.

"Couldn't you..." Mae began to say, then stopped. She knew very well that she couldn't.

"Stay?" Anri asked, turning with a soft smile. "I'd love to... but not yet."

"The rumors," Mae said. Anri nodded. Mae felt her heart sink.

"Unfortunately royalty have to keep their image in mind at all times, and a war-camp in the middle of fighting isn't the best place for privacy," she said. "A saucy affair before I'm even crowned would set the court ablaze when I return. We'll have to be discreet for now. When we reach Runefaust and the fighting ends, I'm sure I can set something up."

"Discreet for now..." Mae processed the statement slowly before it dawned on her. Joy washed away the slight disappointment. "You... you want this to continue!"

"Of course," Anri said, smiling. "I don't pretend to know where this will take the both of us or what it means. I only know I really want to find out. What about you?"

"I'll follow you wherever you want to go," Mae said, a passion almost foreign to her in her voice.

"I don't want you to follow, Mae," Anri said, taking one of her hands. "I want you by my side."

"Then that is where I will be," Mae said, pulling Anri toward her until they embraced again. "Until you say otherwise, that is where I will be."

The knight was dimly aware she only barely grasped the difficulties such a relationship might bring, but was keenly aware of one thing. Even if it meant enduring hell, she intended to remain with Anri, to support, guard, and now, even love her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is written as part of a trade with another author. It was originally posted to Adult-Fanfiction.org, but their terrible format changes recently have put me off enough that I will be re-uploading all existing chapters here at AO3, and all future chapters of this story will be posted only on this site. I hope you enjoy it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is the point at which this story diverges from canon, in the form of Alef's behavior. That catalyst for this change will be revealed later.

Everyone noticed how Anri and Mae started to spend a lot more time together as the days went by. They were seen walking and talking together frequently, sitting by each other during mealtimes, and generally being close by each other a lot more often than they had previously. No one thought much of it, though Mae had been told by Ken during one of their sparring sessions that he thought it was great that she was finally getting friends other than himself and Max. Mae smiled and simply told him he had no idea how great it was. For Anri's part, people had simply assumed it was probably a continuation of the historic friendship her father had had with Varios, Mae's father. The head of the Royal Knights in Guardiana was almost traditionally fast friends with the ruling monarch in addition to being their sword and shield, and when the war was over, Mae looked to be the one in line to inherit that title.

Only Nova, far more wiser in such matters than any of the Force gave him credit for, had an inkling of what was truly going on. The old dragonkin was far too faithful and discreet a servant of the crown to mention anything of that sort, though.

Finally, Anri made an announcement that she had accepted Mae as her royal bodyguard, and that as they drew closer to the enemy capital, Mae would be sharing her quarters in order to guard her more effectively. Nova nodded in approval, stating that the enemy was getting desperate, and the chances of an assassination were high now. Max had reassured them that he doubted the enemy would manage to infiltrate their camp far enough to make such an attempt, but also agreed that there was no point in taking chances. Anri moved her things to Mae's tent that night. It marked the second night they made love when everyone else was asleep.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

Mae had thought the release of all her pent-up lust might have allowed her to concentrate more on her duty, but she was wrong. She thought about Anri more than ever now, and often found herself fantasizing about the things they might do together when they finally found bits of time alone. The thought of exploring a side of herself she barely knew anything about with someone she loved excited her to the core. She found herself stealing kisses when people had their backs to her and Anri, playful caresses and grabs when she felt it could be risked. Each new act of lewd daring filled her with an electric energy that seemed to make the world come alive. She already had a multitude of reasons for wanting this war to end, but now a new one was firmly in their ranks. The sooner the war ended, the sooner Anri and herself could return to Guardiana, and the sooner their secret love affair could continue properly.

Mae giggled to herself, a rare thing indeed for the normally serious centaur. She hadn't liked the idea of keeping their love a secret at first, but she'd come to appreciate the spice the forbidden nature of the act added to things. So long as it didn't go on for too long, she found the unexpected benefits canceled out the drawbacks. She could standing waiting for a while, and when they returned to their home, she could try all the old stand-bys for torrid affairs. She fondly anticipated secret midnight calls, made up appointments and inspections...for a while, at least, it seemed to her it could be made into almost a game.

“Cloak and dagger as a form of foreplay,” she chuckled to herself as she looked at the sun beginning to lower itself in the sky, and smiled. “Never would've thought it.”

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

Anri was in their shared tent when Mae entered, a mischievous smile on her face that had been extremely rare before, but now was becoming more common. Anri put down a quill and looked up from the scroll she was writing in, a smile already warming her face.

“Hello Mae,” she said, voice honey to Mae's ears. “You seem particularly cheerful today. Did you need something?”

Mae trotted up to Anri's side and bent down to whisper in her ear. “You.”

Anri was swept up into Mae's arms in an instant, managing a quick giggle before the two lovers' lips met for a deep kiss. When it broke, Mae winked and nodded to the open tent flap.

“Come on, I found a spot that should be perfect for...” Mae smiled. “...well. You know.”

“Ah, the duties of the royalty,” Anri sighed with mock fatigue as she put the scroll away. “I suppose I have no choice but to tend to the needs of my subject.”

“It's true,” Mae said, trying her best to look serious. “I need you bad.”

Anri and Mae both broke out into light laughter, before Mae turned and lead her princess out of the tent, and into the surrounding woods.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

They were barely clear of the camp and into the forest before Mae pulled Anri behind a tree and planted a desperate, crushing kiss on her lips. Mae's tongue thrust greedily into Anri's willing mouth, her hands sliding to the princess' sides. She held her close as Anri looped her arms around Mae's neck, the passion of the kiss only intensifying. The two stayed like that for a while, making out under the soft glow of the stars until their lust was no longer satisfied with this. Mae's hands caressed Anri's body through her clothes, squeezing her breast and ass with a barely restrained need, while Anri gave short gasps of pleasure.

The princess' own hands slowly slid down from around Mae's neck to her sides, then with a slow, deliberate motion, she began to pull up Mae's shirt. Her knight immediately acquiesced to the unspoken request, raising her arms to make the process easier for her lover. Anri pulled the garment off with a little difficulty, due to the height difference between the two, then offered Mae a slight smile as she stopped to admire her sculpted muscles and pert breasts, now bare and illuminated by the streaks of moonlight making it past the treetops.

“No matter how much I see your body, I can never get over how beautiful it is,” Anri whispered as she leaned forward and up to put one of those beautiful breasts in her mouth. Mae closed her eyes and let out a soft gasp of pleasure as her princess sucked on her nipple. Mae's hands clutched Anri's head to her as she alternately nibbled, licked, and sucked on her breasts. The knight could feel her loins, already aflame with desire, grow more and more needy. She began shifting her weight around on her hooves as Anri worked.

“Anri...” Mae breathed. “I don't know if...”

Anri released Mae's breast with a loud smack of her lips, winking at Mae with the single eye that shone out from under the tresses of her silvery hair. “Had to keep you waiting just long...enough.”

With that, Anri slowly stepped out of her robe, letting it fall to the ground and unmasking her own body. Mae reached out to grasp her, but Anri lightly batted away her hands with a smile, and walked behind her, just out of sight. A few seconds later, an unbelievable sensation of pleasure shot through Mae's body, and she knew what Anri was up to.

Anri was kneeling on the dirt, naked as she clutched Mae's rump with both hands and lightly lashed her tongue over the centaur's exposed slit. Anri had pinned Mae's tail out of the way with one of her hands, and was now diving into her lover's intimate area, lapping at Mae's nether lips as the centaur knight moaned and writhed in pleasure. Mae ran her hands over her chest and belly, feeling herself up, since Anri could hardly reach over while so delightfully busy.

Her lust having already been brought to boiling, it didn't take long for Mae to reach orgasm, drenching Anri's face with her fluids as she forced herself to bite down on her hand rather than scream in bliss. She panted, catching her breath...and then a few seconds later, felt Anri's hot breath on her bared equine pussy.

Anri smiled to herself as she let Mae think for a few moments she was finished, taking the time to wipe off her face with a hand, before grasping Mae right where she had before. Anri leaned forward and opened her mouth, all but kissing Mae's second mouth the way she loved to do with her first. Mae tried to stop herself from letting out a low moan, and Anri tingled. She loved it when she managed to make Mae break her control, when she made her feel so good she simply couldn't restrain herself. It gave her a sense of heady power, while at the same time making her feel needed on the most intimate of levels. She gripped Mae's behind tighter as she kept working her mouth, the centaur-knight stamping her hooves as sensation shot through every fiber of her being. Anri kept working her mouth until she felt a second gush of liquid, and Mae let out a soft shout despite her attempts to muffle herself. Anri kept licking at her lover feverishly through Mae's orgasm, prolonging and heightening it, drinking what she could of Mae's copious pleasure juices, reveling in their husky flavor, and letting the rest bathe her face.The queen to be finally withdrew, all too conscious of her own desire as she walked back to Mae's front.

“Well?” Anri asked in as sultry a manner she could manage, licking her lips and grinning as Mae's spunk pooled at her chin. “How did you like that?”

Mae's only answer was to roughly grab Anri and drag her into a fierce embrace, planting her mouth on Anri's and kissing her with an uncontrolled passion. Anri's eyes widened a little at the sudden ferocity, but relaxed into it as she let Mae dominate her mouth, tasting both Anri's tongue and remnants of her own essence. Mae crushed Anri against her, and both women let their bodies rub against each other, breast massaging breast as their hands just tried to hold the other woman as closely as possible. Finally, both Mae and Anri broke the kiss, gasping for breath.

“I couldn't think of the words, but I liked it that much,” Mae said, sliding her hands down Anri's sides. “I'm not sure I can do better, but I'm going to try.”

“You always have to be the best, huh?” Anri giggled as Mae's hands found purchase on the queen's rear and lifted her up off the ground. Anri looped her legs around Mae's midsection, her mouth going to hers for another kiss...then promptly stopped as a tree branch broke somewhere nearby. The two froze as they heard footsteps crunching through the leaves and grass. Mae's mind immediately went from love to war.

“Damn!” Mae hissed, gently lowering Anri back down to her feet as she looked around. “The enemy? Assassin?”

“Surely not,” Anri whispered, tilting her head as she listened. “We'd have heard the sentry alarm if it were an attack, and an assassin would seek us in the camp...Keep quiet, and keep low.” Anri motioned to a thick line of bushes and quietly crept over to them. Mae quickly followed her, and lay her larger body down on the ground, then leaned her upper body forward so that it would not peek over the bushes' cover. She still took up a lot of space, but Anri was nonetheless gladly surprised at how well the centaur could hide herself. Familiar voices hit the pair's ears as Anri delicately parted some of the branches to peek through.

“It's Alef...and Tao?” Anri whispered back to Mae, who found her own gap to to peer through.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

A short distance away, and getting shorter, were the mages Alef and Tao. They were apparently completely oblivious to their hidden companions, and they walked and chatted with each other. The words, at first indistinct, became understandable as the pair drew nearer and nearer. Anri was afraid they'd have to risk a stealthy flight, but the two mages stopped in the middle of the small clearing, just in front of the bushes.

“I told you I saw a good place on the way to the camp,” Alef said with a fanged smile. “This little bit of forest is going to be perfect. Close enough to camp that we're safe, far away enough for privacy...” The fox-woman pointed to the thick canopy of leaves overhead. “And the trees grow close enough here that we don't have to worry if Balbaroy or Amon decide to get a little nosy.”

Tao bit her lip. “You still haven't told me what exactly you needed to talk to me about.”

“Oh, that's easy,” Alef said, putting both her hands on Tao's shoulders and looking her in the eye. “I've been watching you since I agreed to join the Shining Force, Tao. You seem to vacillate between being shy and bookish, to burning up monsters with glee. When we're not in a fight, you keep to yourself, you are very quiet, and when you do talk, it's usually to me, Anri, or Domingo about magic, and nothing else.” Alef leaned forward slightly. “When you get onto the battlefield, you become like a whole new person. You cast your fire around with zeal, you tear up the spells of the enemy with your dispel magic, you infuse our warriors with your boost spell...”

Alef smiled. “It's like you come alive. I think there's something inside of you that wants to be set free, Tao. I think there's passion burning deep inside you that you never acknowledge except when battle forces you to. I want to see that passion. I want that passion to be mine.”

“Alef?” Tao asked, looking from side to side, nervousness causing her words to come slowly. “I...I don't really understand. You say my passion comes out when I fight...ah...you want to have a mage duel?”

Alef laughed and released Tao's shoulders from her grip.

“No, you silly girl,” she said, a sly smile pulling at her face. “I want to see that passion of yours come out when you are not fighting. I want to see your passion when you bring pleasure instead of pain.”

Tao was fidgeting and shifting her weight from one foot to another as she tried to form words.

“I...I don't understand...”

Alef sighed and gently took hold of Tao's chin with her hand. “Tao, I brought you out here to seduce you.”

Tao immediately pulled away, eyes wide. “Wh-what?” Tao said, blushing a deep crimson. “But...but you're a woman! I'm a woman!”

“It might be less common, but I assure you that mating with another female is very possible...not to mention, enjoyable,” Alef said, gently moving behind Tao and sliding her hands underneath Tao's clothes. She whispered a few words that neither Anri or Mae could make out, and began nuzzling Tao's neck. “I can show you, you know...in intimate detail.”

Tao gave a soft moan as Alef's hands found her breasts and began to slowly squeeze them. Alef opened her mouth and licked Tao's exposed neck, dragging her tongue from breastbone all the way up to her ear, which she began to delicately nibble on while her hands began to knead her chest.

“You don't have to be nervous. You don't have to be scared. You don't even have to think. Just relax, and let me show you what passion can do outside of a battle.” Alef pulled back and let her eyes travel up and down Tao's body. “Now...why not take off the rest of that robe?”

“I...I really shouldn't...” Tao whispered, blinking and bringing a hand to her head.

“Why not? Don't you want to feel...more of this?” Alef asked as she gave Tao's nipples a sudden pinch. Tao shuddered in pleasure and leaned back against Alef, feeling her large breasts pressing against her back as the fox-woman easily folded her into an embrace.

“Y...yes...” she whispered, closing her eyes.

“Then take off your robe. Do that...” Alef's eyes glittered in the moonlight, “...and I'll let you take mine off.”

“O...okay...”

Alef released Tao from her embrace, the pink-haired elf swaying weakly for a few seconds before slowly beginning to undo her cloak. Alef held out her hand and Tao gave the cloak to her. The fox-mage selected a spot of soft ground and lay the garment out over it like a blanket. As Alef prepared the spot, Tao kept working at her clothes, moving almost in a daze.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

“Something we should remember,” Mae whispered to Anri as the two continued to watch. “Next time, let's bring a blanket.”

Anri quietly nodded, but kept her eyes on Tao and Alef.

  
**\--- C --- C --- C---**

 

Tao was now pulling off her robe as Alef stood before the blanketed piece of ground, watching her with a hungry smile. When Tao finally cast the clothes to the ground, she was only wearing a soft white under-blouse and panties. Alef nodded and made a gesture with her hands. Tao immediately began stripping those off as well at the unspoken commanded, exposing petite breasts and a well-groomed strip of pink pubic hair. Alef slowly stalked towards the elven mage, placing her hands on Tao's bare chest and lightly squeezing. Tao gave a quiet gasp in response, and Alef smiled again.

“Cute little breasts...” Alef said, leaning forward to whisper in Tao's ear, “...for a cute little elf.” Her hands slowly moved in circles, massaging Tao's bare breasts as she slid around to her back, continuing to whisper into her long ears. “I could just eat you up. Mmmmhmm. Maybe I will.”

Alef opened her mouth and licked from Tao's shoulder up to her ear, giving the latter a light nibble and causing Tao to gasp with delight. As one of her hands slid down between Tao's legs, she whispered again. Anri and Mae strained to make out the words.

“You like this feeling, don't you?” Alef asked quietly, Tao trembling under her touch.

“Y...yes...” Tao said, her face twisted with pleasure, a growing lust, and what seemed to Anri to be a trace of confusion. “I...never thought...”

“Go on,” Alef purred, licked her ear again.

“I never thought...someone like you could make me feel this way,” Tao finished, letting out a muffled shout of bliss as Alef's hand entered her, Alef herself burying her face in the crook of Tao's neck. “I...I never thought of you in this way at all! I don't know where all these new...new desires are coming from...”

“But they're there, aren't they?” Alef murmured as she kept nibbling Tao's flesh, one hand tweaking her nipple, the other hard at work between her slender legs. “Why worry about that? These desires, these feelings, these pleasures you're enjoying right now...what's more important than where they came from, is that I can make you feel them forever. Would you like that?”

Tao didn't answer at first, her eyes closed as her body shook with each stroke of Alef's fingers. Finally, her breathing turned to panting, and she let out a cry of pleasure barely muffled by her biting her thumb at the last minute. Alef withdrew her hand from between Tao's legs, locked eyes with her, and slowly licked it clean.

“...Yes!” Tao whispered.

Alef withdrew as Tao blushed, smiling her hungry smile again. “Then say you'll be mine. Name me your mistress. Do that, and I promise to make you feel sensations the likes of which you've never imagined.”

“Mis...tress?” Tao murmured, shaking her head. “I...I don't know...”

“That's a shame,” Alef said, reaching out to trace Tao's cheek and chin with her forefinger. She slid it into Tao's mouth, and the mage reflexively sucked on it. When she pulled it back, Tao simply breathed heavily for a few moments, eyes closed.

“Alright,” Tao whispered.

“Alright what?” Alef asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Alright...Mistress,” Tao murmured.

Alef smiled broadly and reached into her robe. She brought out a small, black leather collar, studded with small, sharp spikes, from a fold there, and handed it to the elf. “You know what to do with this, I think.”

Tao buckled it around her neck, without so much a moment's hesitation, then looked to Alef for further instruction. The foxling mage laughed in delight, and took a step back.

“It looks wonderful on you, my pet. Never take it off,” Alef pronounced. Tao's breathing was faster now, her face slack with desire as she looked at Alef, who spread her arms wide. “Well? What are you waiting for? Remember what I said earlier? It's your turn to take MINE off.”

“Y-yes,” Tao said, moving forward. Alef stopped her with a single hand.

“Yes, what?” she asked, tilting her head.

Yes...Mistress,” Tao whispered. Alef smiled broadly and released the elf, letting her pull off her robe with gusto, revealing her magnificent naked body. Alef was the picture of slender feminine curves, so perfectly crafted by nature that her figure rivaled even Anri's. Her soft, sleek coat of light orange fur practically glowed in the low light, giving her an almost ethereal allure.

Clearly almost driven mad by lust, Tao pushed her mouth to Alef's and kissed her deeply. Alef seemed to revel in the kiss, running her fingers up Tao's spine before gently holding the back of her head, the other hand going to her ass and giving it a firm squeeze. Tao's arms were around Alef in a moment, pressing her small breasts to Alef's large, softly furred ones.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

In the bushes, Mae watched and felt the heat of arousal creep over her once more. Watching the other pair of women have sex that was turning her on immensely. She had entertained quite a few fantasies since beginning her affair with Anri, letting her mind run free as well as her body, but they were tame next to this show, and had not made her nearly so horny as she was now. She wanted to ravish Anri or be ravished by Anri all over again, but fear of discovery kept her in check. For now.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

While Anri and Mae watched, Alef had slowly drawn Tao down onto the blankets with her, encouraging the elf to grope, kiss, and lick just about anywhere she pleased before she retaliated with the same treatment times ten. When the foreplay finally wound down, Tao looked at Alef blankly, almost with guilt.

“Mistress...I've never...I don't know how...” Tao began to say, looking at Alef's nakedness with a sort of nervous energy. Alef merely smiled her hungry smile.

“Don't worry, pet. I'll teach you,” Alef said, reaching out and bringing Tao's head down to her nethers. “I've been at this a _very_ long time. Let's see how far instinct takes you first. Just take your tongue and lick me wherever you want. Let my moans and sighs tell you when you're doing it right.”

Tao nodded and lowered her face to Alef's wet slit, tentatively sticking out her tongue and giving it a light lick. Alef placed her hands on Tao's head, pushing her closer and massaging her scalp at the same time. Tao began to lick faster, lapping up Alef's juices and exploring her pussy with her tongue as the foxling writhed in pleasure.

“Yesssss, that's good,” Alef hissed, moving her hands out to either side to tweak Tao's long ears. “Come on, keep going. You're a natural. Thrust your tongue in a little deeper there...Yessss....Now give my clit some attention...you've got the hang of it!”

Tao worked with diligence, paying rapt attention to her new Mistress' words and adjusting her oral attentions as instructed. Clumsy at first, Tao's attempts at pleasuring Alef grew more confident and aggressive the more her lover vocalized her approval. In what seemed like a very short time for the pair of observers in the bushes, Alef suddenly gripped the cloaks beneath her and let out a bestial howl of pleasure as she came. Tao slowly pulled back and sat up as Alef languidly stretched in the aftermath.

“Not bad. Not bad at all for your first lesson,” she said, sitting up as well, then leaning forward and softly pushing Tao to the ground. “Now let me show you how it's really done.”

Alef fell upon Tao like a ravenous beast, burying her face in the elf's pussy and eating her out with rapid, passionate movements of her mouth and tongue. Tao was left at a loss, her breath stolen by cries, moans, and gasps every time she tried to form words. A loud scream of pleasure left her mouth as she came once...then again as she came twice...then only after the third time did Alef slowly lick her way up Tao's body from between her legs, nestling her face against her neck as her fingers took over for her.

“There now, doesn't that feel better?” Alef cooed into her ear. “Isn't this a lot better than all that moping around you were doing earlier? I told you I'd find a way to help you forgot your little unrequited love problem.”

“Y-yes...thank you, Mistress!” Tao managed to get out as Alef's fingers plumbed her depths.

“So who do you love now?” Alef asked, giving Tao's ear a light bite.

“You...Mistress...Ah! YOU!” Tao screamed as she came yet again.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

“Love?” Anri asked with a frown. She turned away from the scene to look at Mae. “I didn't know Tao had a thing for anyone. I wonder who it was?”

“I guess it doesn't matter much now. Look at Tao go. I thought I was repressed,” Mae chuckled.

“She must've been, to fall into Alef's arms so readily,” Anri replied, turning back. The princess frowned again. “She seemed...out of sorts.”

“Knowing Alef, they probably had a few drinks before coming out here,” Mae said. “I've never known Tao to hold her wine, and she certainly looked tipsy for a while there.”

“Oh. Oh, yes, that makes sense,” Anri said, smiling. “That explains it.”

Mae held Anri close as the two watched Tao and Alef go at it, the sight of the two exploring their lesbian love having long since refreshed the desire in both of them. Mae let her hands slide up from Anri's abdomen to her breasts, fondling them lightly as she began kissing her shoulder and neck. Anri giggled and batted at Mae's hands.

“Stop it...if we start something, they might hear,” Anri said, quietly as she could.

“Them? Hear anything?” Mae nodded to the two mages, now locked fiercely into a sixty-nine position. Alef was on top, and seemed to have already brought her elf to a new orgasm, judging by the way Tao was screaming into Alef's muff. “I somehow doubt it. So long as neither of us screams.”

“You have a point,” Anri admitted, placing her hands over Mae's as they resumed their pleasurable task. Anri let out a happy sigh as Mae went to work on her. “This is giving me at least one idea, though.”

“What's that?” Mae asked, pausing only for a moment before returning her lips to Anri's bare skin.

“Alef seems to be...a lot more experienced at this than either of us, energetic though we might be,” Anri said, tilting her head to get a better look at Alef and Tao. “...I might ask her for...well, tips.”

The thought of Alef demonstrating sexual technique to Anri suddenly shot through Mae's brain. The thought of Alef guiding Anri's lovemaking with her came next. The thought of all three of them, naked and together on the centaur-knight's pile of cushions, came after that. Mae thought of Alef and Anri 'practicing' on each other, then on her, then making love to Anri while Alef watched. Her hands and mouth began to work Anri's flesh with sudden frenzy as Anri squeaked in surprise.

“Mae?” Anri asked. Mae looked at her with lust-filled eyes.

“I think that's a fantastic idea.”

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

The moon had long gone down when Tao and Alef limped back to camp, completely exhausted from what would be their first very intensive and very long session of hard fucking. Half an hour later, Mae trotted back to camp as well, a totally drained, but intensely satisfied, Anri on her back.


	3. Chapter 3

The great gate to the wall that guarded Runefaust's inner border from the rest of the world was a lot less imposing lying in smoldering pieces on the ground. Anri, Tao, Domingo, and Alef collectively dusted off their hands and looked at each other with satisfied smiles. Max had called out the magic users of the Shining Force to blast a hole through the last obstacle remaining between them and Runefaust's home territory. Everywhere around the gate lay the remains of what had been Runefaust's most elite guards, and what monsters Darksol could supply to back them. They hadn't been enough, and neither had the great gate, which had stood guard over Runefaust's border for a century. Against the onslaught of ice, fire, and lightning the four magic users called up, even the warded and reinforced wood of the gate could not stand. Especially not when one was tapping the powers of the legendary Demon Rod.

The Demon Rod was an ancient artifact of untold power and unknown evil. Wrested from the hand of a Demon Master long ago, there were many legends about its power, and more than a few about its insidious curse. Unfortunately for the Force, the legends were unclear on what exactly that curse was, so when they found the staff in the course of their war, they were at first unsure what to do with it. Max had finally agreed to let Lowe and Alef try to seal the curse while leaving the Rod available for use. As far as anyone could tell, it had succeeded, and Alef now wielded the potent weapon against Runefaust.

Now the Shining Force was marching underneath fortifications no longer manned, into the heart of Runefaust, and for days, they noticed one thing.

No one was opposing them.

“I think it's weird, you know? After all this fighting, now we're just sort of sauntering along,” Ken noted, trotting lightly besides Mae.

“Their will to fight has been broken. What remains of the army has either deserted or been pulled back to fortify the castle, I'd wager,” Gort said, keeping his hand on his axe despite the words.

“Now that's a fight I'm looking forward to. Breaking down those walls and staring ugly ol' Ramladu straight in his bloodshot eyes!” Vankar boasted.

“You're one to talk about bloodshot eyes,” Mae said, rolling her own. “Which reminds me. Put that flask away. We're in enemy territory.”

“Aw lighten up, I could take on ten... no, twelve of those Runefaust sops even while drunk,” Vankar said. He put his flask away anyway a moment later when Mae's expression did not change.

Anri giggled a little, walking beside her secret lover and 'bodyguard' as always. Mae frowned.

“What's so funny?” she asked.

“Nothing. It's just reassuring to see that even when victory seems assured, you take everything seriously,” Anri said with a warm smile. “I love that about you.”

Mae flushed a little at the words, though the subtext was no doubt lost on anyone but the two of them. Lowe laughed.

“And I love sleeping in a warm bed instead of a camping tent!” the halfing said. “Which is what we'll all be able to do in just a few days. Think about it! We'll be sleeping in the priciest inn in Runefaust once we take their capital! Spoils of victory and all that! The best food and drink on the house!”

“It is good to know the minions of the Church of Light hold such virtue in their thoughts at all times,” Earnest dryly said, shooting Lowe a look of disgust. Khris winced and spoke up.

“H-hey now, don't judge us all by one errant priest...” the kyantol healer said. “Virtue is the true meat and drink of any real follower of the Light.”

“I'll take steak and ale over that any day,” Lowe laughed, walking over to the groups' leader and elbowing him in the gut. “Right, Max?”

“I can believe that,” the swordsman lightly said. “You would take steak and ale over _anything_ any day. I hate to break it to you though, but if we hold Runefaust, we'll be headquartering in the castle until we figure out what to do. No pricey inns for you, Lowe.”

“Aw. Oh well, I guess I'll have to make do with Ramladu's stores and royal finery then,” Lowe said, smiling broadly as he wrung his hands together.

“You do know that Ramladu despises opulence, right?” Anri asked, turning to regard the diminutive vicar. A mischievous grin tugged at her face. “To better serve as an example to his troops and people, he dines on simple fare, as does everyone in his castle. He also had most of the castle's beds changed from feather to straw mattresses "until the war is won."”

A look of horror dawned on Lowe's face.   “That's... that's madness...” he hissed. “Replacing good soft feather beds... with... with straw?!”

“What's so bad about sleeping on straw?” Mae asked, glaring at Lowe, who huffed.

“Not everyone is half-horse, you know!”   Mae's eyes narrowed and her face turned red as she opened her mouth to deliver a retort. Before she could, Arthur clocked Lowe lightly on the top of his head.

“You eat enough to be a full horse,” Arthur commented as Lowe pouted and rubbed his head.

“I was joking anyway, Lowe,” Anri said, still smiling. “Ramladu does despise opulence, but only the gaudiness of places like Alterone. It just means the beds will be feather mattresses and cotton sheets instead of feathers and silk. And the food will probably be about as good as you can expect in a war-torn land.”

“You can be a cruel ruler sometimes, my queen,” Lowe said, shaking his head. Anri's smile faded and the halfling immediately regretted his jest. “Sorry... bad joke. You'll be a fine ruler, I know it.”

“Fair's fair,” Alef cut in, grinning toothily at the princess. “Anri makes a bad joke and she gets a bad joke in turn. I never thought I'd see you play tricks on poor Lowe, though. Cruel ruler indeed to mess with a mind like his.”

“With the war near ending, I've been lighter of heart lately,” Anri replied, smiling again. Alef grinned.

“I bet,” she said.

“My head's not that easy to mess with, is it?” Lowe asked. Tao scoffed.

“Maybe if you thought more about battle and not food,” Tao said, walking closely besides Alef. “Alef is completely right to mock you.”

“Tao agrees with Alef,” Lyle laughed. “There's a shocker for ya, mate.”

“A real shocker is what the enemy is going to get if they're dumb enough to attack!” Tao said, an almost feral grin spreading across her face. “Alef's Bolt spell combined with my Blaze? You'll be lucky if we leave anything left for the rest of you!”

 

**\--- C --- C --- C---**

 

As the Force moved along, Anri's eyes kept wandering to the spiked black leather collar now around Tao's neck. She knew she wasn't the only one either. Even if she hadn't seen the impromptu 'ceremony' in which Toa received it, it was an odd enough adornment for people to take notice of. The fact that Tao seemed to never take it off had also been noted. There was even a rumor going around that she bathed with it on, though Anri had to wonder how someone found that out.

Collar aside, people were also noticing some definite changes in Tao. While she had always taken a degree of satisfaction in using her magic in combat, now she seemed to relish what few fights the Force got in along their march. There was a gleam in her eye that was not there before, though she knew Max was chalking it up to a renewed zest for living. There was the more obvious change in how she acted around Alef. While Tao before had always been a little withdrawn except around a very select circle of friends, Anri included, now she almost exclusively spent her time with Alef. She followed her wherever she went, always walking behind with what was almost a sly smile on her face. Alef barely needed to ask before Tao did things like fetch things for her, clean her gear, or take over any of the camp chores when it was her turn to do them. She also seemed to like to stay very close to her, the two were barely inches apart at any given time, and often touching. Not to mention that in battle she protected her with a zeal that to Anri seemed to border on fanaticism. Combined with the rising rumors about the noise coming from Alef's tent during the evenings, and Tao usually being seen coming out of it rather than her own in the morning, and there was a lot of talk about just what was going on between the two of them. Given all the rumors, Anri was surprised she and Mae had done such a good job of staying unnoticed. All the talk about them was just people being jealous of how good friends they seemed to be. Then again, Anri wasn't making Mae wear a collar.

“Though that could be fun...” Anri thought, and immediately gave herself a mental slap. That wasn't thinking worthy of a lover, much less a princess.

Anri was a little unsure how to feel about Tao and Alef's unconventional relationship... the idea of one being a slave and the other being a master didn't feel right to her. Mae just seemed to be glad that the two were happy, and Anri could at least agree with that. Tao had been moody and withdrawn for a while now, and if Alef could pull the elf out of her funk, then so much the better. If she hadn't seen the gifting of the collar, she probably would have assumed Tao was just being loving, so maybe it was just a harmless kink for them. Either way, she was still set on asking her about improvements to her technique, though she was unsure how to go about it.

 

**\--- C --- C --- C---**

 

It was early night when Anri finally decided to go to Alef's tent, Mae in tow. Mae had commented earlier that she should tag along to 'keep the princess honest'. This comment had earned her a playful smack, but Anri was glad she said that. It gave her an excuse to ask her to come along rather than do it one at a time, and she suspected she might have actually chickened out had it been left solely to her. Even though it was her own idea, Anri was new to having a lover, and far newer to the prospect of asking for help on how to better please a lover. Having Mae beside her was comforting... reassuring in a way that Anri had never quite felt before. So long as Mae was beside her, she felt she didn't have to be afraid of anything.

Despite that, she still felt awkward as the pair stood in front of Alef's tent and heard the muffled giggles, shuffling, and occasional sigh of pleasure from within. Anri raised her hand and paused, face reddening as she realized there was no door to knock. Lowering her hand, she instead cleared her throat loudly. The sounds did not quiet. She tried again, then ventured to speak, voice barely above speaking volume.

“Uh... Alef?” she asked, looking around the shadowy campsite and being all too aware that a wrong move now would go a long way to making her and Mae's affair public before the two were ready. “Can you... Alef?”

“Oh for the love of Light, Anri,” Mae sighed, shaking her head at the timid attempt. “Let me do it. Alef! Company!”

Mae's voice was not quite a shout, but it was loud enough that the sounds from inside the tent became panicked squeaks and shuffling as Alef responded in a strained voice. Anri winced and looked around again, half expecting to see someone investigate the noise. No one did, though. She wondered for a moment if the people who had drawn guard duty were doing their jobs or just knew the difference between campsite noise and what could be an enemy attack.

“Don't come in! Uh, be right there!” Alef called. A minute later, Alef poked her head out of her tent, looking more than a little disheveled and nervous. The nervousness faded as she saw who it was, though the disheveled aspect remained, her robe half-clasped and clearly thrown on in a hurry. “Oh it's just you two. I thought you might be... well, never-mind. So... the princess and her knight. What can I do for you two at this time of... well, night.”

“We know about you and Tao,” Mae said, crossing her arms. Alef seemed unfazed, but there was a subtle change in her demeanor that Anri saw. Something resembling caution.

“Know what about me and her?” Alef asked.

“We know you gave the collar to her,” Anri said. “We know you two are... involved, and... ah, we had a favor to ask.”

“A favor?” Alef asked, wrinkling her nose in confusion. “So... what, you're going to tell everyone if you don't get what you want?”

“What? No! No, that's not it at all,” Mae said, shocked at the insinuation she would stoop to blackmail. “Besides, you haven't been exactly subtle.”

“No... not really,” Alef agreed. “A fault of mine is that I like to see how far I can push things. So far me and Tao have been stopping short of publicly kissing each other and no one's said anything beyond rumor. Which is why I'm confused at what you're going to ask, because if everyone already half knows about it, it's pretty poor blackma-”

“It's not blackmail!” Mae almost shouted. Anri laid a hand on her shoulder to quiet her and Mae gave her a look of embarrassment. Alef arched an eyebrow at the look as Mae spoke again, quieter. “It's not blackmail. I'm saying we know because... we're like that too.”

“You're like...” Alef began, then stopped as a broad smile spread across her canine mouth. “What, you... and Anri? Really? This isn't a joke?”

Anri reached up and took Mae's face into her hands and kissed her on the lips, slipping her tongue into her mouth lightly. Mae's eyes widened for a moment in surprise, but quickly closed as her arms folded Anri to her, the pair losing themselves in the sweetness of the kiss for a while. When their lips parted and Mae released Anri from her embrace, Alef was left standing mouth open, eyes unblinking.

“Wow. All right, you weren't joking. No one fakes a kiss like that,” Alef said, regaining her composure. “Sorry for not believing you, it's just unexpected. I keep a pretty good ear to the ground on the gossip in this camp, and I didn't know the two of you... well, liked women, much less liked each other.”

“We've been keeping it a secret,” Anri said. “To avoid scandal. Politics will... complicate things when the war is over.”

“Well, you've been doing a good job,” Alef said, opening the tent flap. “Come in, come in.”

The interior of the tent was relatively plain, Anri noted as she stepped inside. The most notable features were the small glow-orbs set up around the top for light, the clothes scattered around the interior, and the two sleeping rolls which had been pushed together in the center of the tent. Tao sat in one of those, naked under a single blanket, her collar the only piece of clothes currently worn. She watched Anri and Mae enter warily.

“Mistress?” she asked, turning to Alef when the foxling entered and closed the flap behind her. She waved her off.

“It's fine, they know,” Alef said, sitting down next to Tao, though not joining her under the blankets yet.

“Have we really been doing that good of a job?” Mae asked, carefully setting herself down near the tent flap as Anri found a spot between her and Alef. “Keeping it secret, I mean. It doesn't seem like it, sometimes.”

Alef laughed and shook her head. “Compared to the other couples running around at night thinking they're being all sneaky and shadowy about getting some? No, if I didn't figure out you and Anri were together, no one else is going to.”

“Other couples?” Anri asked, brow tightening in thought. “I... didn't even know there were other couples. Aside from Amon and Balbaroy of course.”

“Well no wonder,” Alef said, wagging a finger at Anri. “No offense, but from what Tao tells me, both you and Mae have been caught up in vengeance for so long, you completely missed half of what's been going on in camp. I've only been here since the battle against the Demon Master and I probably know more about the sordid scandals taking place in our Force than you.” Alef grinned, showing most of her teeth. “...then again, I am pretty good at finding out secrets.”

“Scandals?” Mae asked, looking to Anri, who shrugged. Alef laughed.

“Certainly! Let me give you a few examples,” Alef said leaning forward towards the two. “On the tamer side is the fact that Max has caught Vankar, Pelle, and Arthur leaving headquarters for the whorehouses at least three times when we were in Prompt. They tried to get Ken to go with them the last time, but he had none of that.”

“That's the tamer side?” Mae asked, astonished. Mentally she berated herself for not catching Pelle, Vankar and Arthur herself. Not only was she second in command, she was unofficially head of the centaur cavalry, and for Max to catch her troops shirking duty for rutting with city-whores was amazingly shameful. She'd have to keep a closer eye on those good for nothings. Alef laughed.

“Oh, yes, tame!” Alef said, clapping her hands together. “You think that was bad? Notice how Diane has been keeping her distance from Luke? During the celebration of Dragonia's liberation, they both got really, really drunk. The next morning? Luke wakes up in Diane's bed. Get this, though. In addition to Diane not really liking him that much to begin with, Luke's got someone waiting for him back home!”

“Oh... my...” Anri gaped. She shook her head. “And this sort of thing is... common?”

“Well not common, but it's not exactly rare either,” Alef said. All traces of her earlier tension had vanished as she sank into the role of gossip-monger. “Things like these happen in warbands. You stay in them long enough, you'll see.” Alef shook her head. “Anri and Mae... Almost surprising as Max and...”

“Max got a girlfriend?” Anri asked, eyes widening.

“I'm... surprised he managed to keep it a secret, given how many eyes are on him,” Mae said.

“He didn't,” Alef said, shaking her head. A sly grin pulled at her mouth. “And the term is lover. Honestly, say it like that and you sound like a school-maiden more than a battle mage or ruler. He didn't get a girlfriend, he got a lover.”

“Who?” Mae and Anri asked at the same time. Alef wagged a finger.

“Maybe I'll tell you later. Anyway, we've gotten far off track. What did you want to ask me?” Alef asked.

“Well... you seem to know... a lot about this sort of thing...” Anri began. “...especially if knowing all that is any indication. You have... more experience...”

“We want you to teach us how to better please each other,” Mae said. Alef giggled.

“After we just got done talking about all these horrid scandals you want to start one up yourself? Princess and royal knight seeking sexual aid from a beastfolk... ah, it's grand,” Alef said, holding a hand to her mouth to muffled her laughter. Mae flushed crimson.

“It's an honest request and if you're not going to help...” she began to say. Alef shook her head.

“I was only teasing. I do that a lot. So, you two have been having...difficulties?”

“No. Far from it, it's been wonderful. But...” Anri said, biting her lip. “We just thought... well, neither of us really knows what we're doing, and add to that the fact that we're different species... I just want to be able to make Mae feel as good as I can.”

“With any skill, you go to someone with more experience to refine your technique,” Mae said, crossing her arms again. "No matter how much natural talent the apprentice possesses, it will never go far without a master to guide it." Alef grinned yet again, looking almost predatory in the dim light of the tent.

“A master, eh? I prefer to think of myself as a Mistress...but you're certainly right about my level proficiency. However, with this particular skill... Words alone aren't exactly the best way to teach it,” Alef purred, leaning forward and crawling towards Anri. The foxling mage crept between Anri and Mae and slipped an arm around each of their shoulders, drawing them closer before whispering further. “...why not let me teach it to you... with a few demonstrations?”

Anri and Mae looked at each other and silently nodded before turning back to Alef.

“All right. What do you want us to do?” Anri asked. Alef responded by gently pushing Anri back onto the bedroll.

“I want you to pay attention,” Alef said, beginning to unclasp and pull off her robe. The garment fell off with little prompting.“...and enjoy yourself. Tao?”

“Yes Mistress?” the elf asked, perking up at Alef's call.

“Help me with our pretty little princess here,” Alef cooed as her hands found the clasps for Anri's mage-cloak and undid them, tossing the garment to the side. Tao emerged from beneath the blankets, exposing her naked body for Mae and Anri to see. It was just as beautiful a sight as it was when they spied on her with Alef. “Mae, pay close attention to where I touch Anri and how.” Mae nodded and slowly pulled up her own shirt in preparation for when it was her turn, eyes never leaving the spectacle of Anri being slowly undressed by Alef and Tao.

“Even undressing is something to keep in mind,” Alef said as she finished getting Anri's clothes off of her. “Do it slow enough and it heightens the anticipation of what is to come. Too slow and it goes to just being frustrating, though.”

Anri reflexively covered her bare chest with her arms when her robe finally slipped off her, prompting a grin from Alef and Tao, who gently pulled her arms back. Alef nodded in approval of the sight of Anri's large, pale breasts.

“That sight alone is payment enough for this little lesson,” she said. “No more words for a while. Just watch. Ask questions when it's all done.”

With that, Alef leaned forward and planted a clumsy kiss on Anri's mouth, the different shape making it unlike anything Anri had experienced before. Alef seemed to compensate for the awkward positioning with zeal, her tongue aggressively entering and tasting the princess' mouth as her hands roamed Anri's soft flesh, finally coming to hold Anri's face as Alef kept kissing her. At a motion from Alef, Tao crept behind Anri, pressing her breasts against her back and pressing her mouth to Anri's neck. The elf's hands trailed over Anri's flat stomach, sending shivers up her spine until they found the twin orbs that were Anri's breasts, which they clutched fiercely. Anri moaned in the double embrace and Alef withdrew with the toothy grin that Mae was noticing was often on her face. Anri's mouth was hardly free for a few seconds before Tao quickly latched her own mouth onto it, plunging her tongue into Anri's as one hand went from breast to cradle her cheek. Mae felt her nipples stiffen and her loins begin to pulse with desire as Alef trailed her tongue down between Anri's legs and began to feast. She had never seen something that turned her on so much as the sight of Anri being pleasured by two women at the same time. Tao released Anri from the kiss with a loud gasp for breath, then leaned back a little and nestled the princess' head in between her breasts, massaging both mammaries against the sides of her face. Anri did not resist, nor managed to do much of anything besides gasp and sigh in pleasure under Alef's ministrations. Occasionally, one of her wandering hands manages to caress Tao's body or hold Alef's head closer to her slit, but it was clear Anri was quite lost in the moment.

Mae found her hands wandering to her own breasts as she watched. Unable to press her loins against anything for relief, it was all she could do to try and stem the tide of her rising desire by squeezing her chest and pinching her own nipples.

“A knight is patient,” Mae reminded herself as she took in the sight of Anri getting fucked on the blankets. A light sheen of sweat was beginning to form on her perfect skin from the exertion. “It'll be my turn soon enough.”

A tremor wracked Anri's whole body as she reached climax suddenly and violently, gripping the blankets she lay on as her liquids gushed forward into Alef's waiting mouth. The foxling mage got up and wiped her face with a satisfied smile as Anri caught her breath, Tao still cradling her head.

“You lasted a little longer than I expected,” Alef said. She then looked over to Mae and giggled. “Hope you were paying attention.”

“I was,” Mae said, still feeling extremely aroused. The only thing stopping her from simply pouncing on one of the naked women before her and ravishing them was the iron discipline and ever-present sense of decorum she possessed. Alef nodded, taking note of Mae's hands working at herself.

“Good. Tao, will you attend to poor Mae? She's been kept waiting long enough, don't you think? Show her a good time, and show Anri a little about what you've learned,” Alef said. Tao nodded eagerly, gently extricating herself from behind Anri and almost leaping to Mae's side. Tao took a moment to slowly lick each of Mae's breasts, the centaur trembling with pleasure before moving around to her backside and kneeling before her glistening cunt. Slowly, almost reverently, Tao brought her lips to Mae's pussy and began to kiss it, alternating between soft kisses, and slow, forceful drags of her tongue across the nether opening.   Alef moved around to Anri's back and gently pushed. Anri laid down on the blankets and moaned softly as she felt twin mounds of soft fur pressing against her naked back. Alef gently laid down on top of her and began to rub her entire body over hers as she greedily licked Anri's shoulder, neck, and ear before moving in for a fierce kiss. This time, Anri returned it just as fiercely, looking over to Mae and deciding to give her lover a good show. Alef seemed to have no objections, pressing into the kiss as she rolled Anri over, rubbing their fronts together for a while. Anri had to admit, it felt very good... like a full body massage with a fur coat. It lasted a little shorter than she'd have liked as Alef sat up and pulled Anri up with her. With a wink, but no word, she slid her legs over Anri's and then pulled her close, the princess giving a short squeak as she realized her pussy was just an inch from touching Alef's. Alef brought her hands up against Anri's sides and let them travel to her breasts, fondling them appreciatively. Anri mimicked her, eliciting a short gasp from Alef as her hands grasped and squeezed the soft, furred mounds of flesh in front of her. Alef was slightly bigger than her! The thought only had a moment to spark in Anri's mind before Alef's arms slid over Anri's back and drew her closer, the foxling covering her mouth with her own as she began grinding her loins against Anri's.

The sensation was amazing. Having only recently lost her virginity, and to a centaur, Anri had never been scissored before. The feeling of pressure on her most private of places, and for that pressure to be from a soft, furred body, was delightful, but the knowledge that it was another woman's pussy added an entirely new level to the pleasure. Alef let Anri's mouth go as she leaned back and growled, her arms bracing her body against the ground as her thrusts against Anri increased.

“That's... incredible...” Anri managed to say, leaning back and supporting herself with her arms much as Alef was doing.

“It's just a taste,” Alef replied, bucking hard with each word. “You... have a lot to learn... and I... have a lot... to TEACH!”

Anri couldn't stop herself, screaming in pleasure at the last thrust as another orgasm hit her. She was soon joined by Mae, who looked like she was having trouble standing as Tao withdrew with a big smile from her pussy. The only one who didn't look extremely happy in that moment was Alef.

“Tao!” Alef scolded, turning from Anri to glare at her elven servant/lover. “I saw most of that, and it was sloppily done!”

“I have... no complaints...” Mae panted. Alef shook her head anyway and Tao bit her lip and looked down.

“No, no, it won't do. If it was just for fun, I'd let it slide, but this is supposed to be a lesson!” Alef extricated herself from her position, stood and walked over to Mae. Anri flopped down onto the blankets for a bit, recovering from the pleasant assaults on her womanhood. Kneeling by Mae's behind, Alef looked at Tao, speaking sternly.

“Now, watch. Even with a more humanoid woman, you should lick erratically and vigorously once she's this aroused, and that goes double for a centaur, because she has a much larger area for you to pleasure--it's just common sense, Tao! And always, always make sure to give the clit some attention, even if you are aiming to tease it,” Alef said, leaning forward to pick up where Tao had left off. Mae immediately let out a sharp gasp as she was submerged into a world of pleasure once more. Her mouth busied by the demonstration, no further words came from Alef for a time.

Anri started to speak, but was ambushed by the now unoccupied Tao. The elf had noiselessly crept around her mistress and Mae as they had begun to make love, and had now pressed her breasts against Anri's back, her hands sliding up to cup her breasts. Anri gave a startled squeak that was quickly silenced by a greedy mouth as Tao pressed her lips on Anri's.

“I can do two things at the same time,” Tao whispered as she withdrew her lips, leaving Anri gasping for breath. “Let me practice on you while I watch Mistress.”

“I... uh...” Anri stammered as Tao softly kissed her neck and trailed down to her belly, licking there in a swirl before bringing her tongue up again to her left nipple. Her mouth gently latched there as she looked into Anri's eyes for a moment before glancing towards Alef and Mae, still going at it. Anri's delayed response was dropped altogether as Tao slid a pair of fingers into her. The elf whispered into her ear as she stroked her insides, putting pressure on her g-spot.

“I'd explain the technique to you, but I think you can figure it out best just by remembering what I'm doing... and I intend to make this good enough that you'll always remember it,” Tao said, planting another kiss on Anri's shoulder before her eyes rose to watch Alef.

Alef was lapping at Mae with gusto, the zeal in which she applied herself a stark contrast to the slow, measured attempts of Tao earlier. Tao herself was pumping her fingers into Anri at a steady pace, her mouth kissing and sucking her neck and shoulder while she watched her mistress pleasure Mae with rapt attention. Mae was still massaging her own breasts, swinging her face from side to side and occasionally stamping a hoof as she tried to contain herself and failed. Anri found the entire sight extremely arousing, she had never managed to see her lover in such pleasure from this angle before. She made a mental note to experiment with mirrors if they ever got back to Guardiana. Such idle thoughts were soon banished by a surge of gratification shot through her body courtesy of Tao. The pumping fingers were increasing their pace, and Tao's mouth hungrily sought hers for a kiss. Silver and pink hair tangled together as the two mages almost fought for dominance with their mouths, Tao finally breaking it with a gasp as she turned back to watch Alef as she had been instructed.

Mae went first this time, soaking Alef's face with her fluids as she reached a mighty orgasm with a loud cry. The sight of Mae's face contorted and blissful with carnal sensation was too much for Anri to take, and she came as well, her passage pulsing around Tao's fingers as she bit down on her thumb to keep from screaming. Mae's legs finally gave out and the centaur collapsed onto the pile of blankets in the middle of the tent. Anri was slumping back in Tao's arms, breathing heavily and completely spent. Alef and Tao leaned back and looked at each other with sly grins before Anri and Mae realized they weren't nearly finished yet.

The lessons continued for some time, and Alef could not remember the last time she had such attentive pupils.

 

**\--- C --- C --- C---**

 

“Well... that was... different,” Anri gasped as the two left Alef's tent an hour later. Both were exhausted, though in the most pleasant of ways. Mae nodded in response to Anri, but said nothing more, her face surprisingly tight. Anri frowned and reached up to gently touch the centaur's cheek. “Mae... what's wrong?”

“It was... good,” Mae said, looking down at the ground. “Too good. Anri... I... I really loved watching you... well, fuck Alef and Tao. Watching you shake with pleasure, sweat with passion... even just thinking about it sends a thrill through me.” Mae paused, her head moving from side to side as she searched for words. “What does... what does that say about me? What does it say that I like watching the woman I think I love be pleasured by someone else? What does it say about me that I enjoyed being pleasured by someone else? It's not... it's not how love is supposed to be, from what I know about it.”

“Mae, is any of what we have 'supposed to be?” Anri asked, looping her arms around Mae's waist. “We're not a conventional couple to begin with. Trying to compare us to one is just asking for trouble.”

“I know...” Mae said, waving an arm back in the direction of Alef's tent. “...and I even encouraged you to do this with me, but now that it's done... well, I just can't help but wonder.”

Anri smiled. “What's this? Are you actually being indecisive? That's not the Mae I know. It's more your style to meticulously plan things out and then charge forward, dealing with things as they happen.”

“I don't care what that terrible bard back in Prompt sang, love isn't a battlefield,” Mae said, stamping one of her hooves. “This is... this is totally different. My planning is worthless and my courage...”

“Don't start,” Anri said, lightly tapping Mae on the nose. “Just listen to me. I'm in love with a centaur and you're in love with a human; clearly we both like unconventional things. That's fine. You like seeing me fuck other women. That's also fine. Now here's the question. Do you want to see me love another woman?”

“No!” Mae said, and when the word left her lips it was the most certain she'd ever been of anything in her life. Anri smiled.

“Then we know where we stand,” she said. “Mae, given from the way Alef was talking, I'm quickly learning that having a kink or two is perfectly normal. If you want to invite other women into our bed or want me to invite other women into our bed once in a while, that's fine.” Anri laughed. “Now, if I see a spiked collar around your neck one night and I'm not the one who put it there... then there might be a problem.”

“Collars aren't my style. Though if it was for you, maybe,” Mae said leaning down to kiss her. She let the kiss hold for a while before breaking it off and looking into Anri's eyes with a smile. “Anyone else would have my hoofprints on their face.”

“And I guarantee to give anyone thinking to steal me away from you a... cold reception,” Anri said, opening her palm to form an ice crystal in it with her magic. Anri and Mae both burst into laughter a second laughter.

“Anri, stop hanging around Lowe. His terrible jokes are rubbing off on you,” Mae said draping an arm around her shoulders.

“Just be glad I'm not hanging around Arthur or Vankar. You'd get terrible come-ons instead.”

“That might not be so bad.”

“Oh, now you're just teasing.”


	4. Chapter 4

Alef had intended to proceed with her plan the previous night, but wasn't bothered at all by the small delay of one night in exchange for a lesser orgy within her own tent, especially not one that contained such special and attractive ladies. After another day's travel, Runefaust's capital city was in sight, a line of buildings set across the horizon. Alef judged this fortuitous, and decided to delay one more night...a room with a nice, normal, soft bed would be a godsend. Not to mention how critical having a door that could be locked might be to the next phase of her plan. She grinned her toothy grin as she looked over to Tao, marching by her side as always. The mage had a dreamy, half-aware look as she followed Alef along the road. A twinge of pleasure shot through Alef.

_(That look will change soon enough)_ , Alef thought to herself, as she slid a hand against Tao's rear, goosing her. The mage yelped and smiled at Alef, welcoming the brief touch. Alef's grin only grew. _(I've got a much better image in mind for you, my dear...)_

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

The city gave up without a fight, much to Alef's delight. It meant that her plan could progress all the quicker. And when Max allowed everyone to choose their own rooms at the building he selected to serve as temporary headquarters, she had to restrain herself not to rush to the next step. An abandoned tavern whose owner and staff had been conscripted...Alef could not have asked for a better place for the Force to 'camp,' save for the castle itself. She could probably get away with retiring to her chambers now, claiming exhaustion from the journey, but she needed to be certain. Alef had to be careful to make sure all her duties were accounted for, and that no one would be needing her for a while. Interruptions could be catastrophic for what she had planned.

Finally, a few hours after taking the city, Alef judged the time was right, and told Tao to go wait in her room for her. She gave one more check around headquarters to make sure everything was accounted for. Amon and Balbaroy had drawn patrol again, Gort and Luke were busy helping Guntz and Adam clean out some of the rooms for use, Max was busy discussing strategy with Nova, and Anri had already retired to her room, claiming the exact excuse that Alef had planned to use, exhaustion after a long day. Given the conspicuous absence of Mae from the tavern's parlor, Alef was sure that Anri's excuse was as untrue as it would have been for she herself, and that the princess and her mare were throwing their own private party together. And most of the rest of the Force was present in the parlor, relaxing with drink, conversation, card games, or brooding. Perfect!

Alef barely suppressed a laugh as she almost ran for her newly claimed room, and newly claimed slave.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

Tao was already naked when Alef entered the bedroom. She looked to Alef with hopeful eyes and an undisguised eagerness that stirred Alef's desires even higher. The foxling suppressed those lusts for now...she had work to do. She began stripping off her clothes and walked over to the bed, sitting down on it, and bracing her back against the wall.

“Mistress?” Tao asked, arching an eyebrow at the position. “Are we...did you need me for...”

Alef shook her head as Tao trailed off, motioning to her lap.

“What we're about to do is far better than just sex as you have known it, my pet. This...will be the pinnacle, the ultimate in satisfaction and pleasure, sex in its most perfect form. Lay down here, slave. Lay down, close your eyes, and open your mind to me,” Alef said, reaching out her arms to Tao. Tao nodded and lay down on the bed before Alef, letting her head rest back onto Alef's naked chest as the foxling held her gently by the temples. The elf's eyes were closed and she was breathing slowly and steadily. The collar around Tao's neck was the only thing she wore, the steel spikes set into the black leather now shining in the darkness as Alef quietly infused them with more magic. Alef took a moment to savor the feel of Tao's naked, smooth flesh on her own fur, the closeness they were enjoying and the warmth of her body, before she began the ritual in earnest.

“Now then...” Alef crooned as she pressed her breasts against the sides of Tao's head. The elf purred in appreciation as Alef continued.“...I am entering into your mind, the most intimate connection possible between two people. Open yourself to me, open your entire being to me, my slave.” Alef worked her breasts against Tao's head a little before continuing. “Trust me...be open for me...the more you let me in, the better this will be for both of us. The more control you let me have, the more pleasure I can bring you. When my word is absolute, so will be your bliss. Now, Tao...will you allow me unbridled access to every strand of your life?”

“Yes...mistress...” Tao whispered, lips already parted in a soft moan of enjoyment. Alef's eyes glittered.

“Good.”

With a single arcane word more, Alef closed her eyes, her awareness of the physical world dimming. There was a moment of pure darkness, complete quiet and sensation-less void, before Alef sent her mind into Tao's, the mindscape opening up to her in the form of a great shifting sea of images and thoughts. Alef saw a shimmering veil protecting the sea from outside intrusion, which was almost immediately drawn back. Gentle tendrils of essence even began reaching out and drawing Alef in. The elven mage was welcoming her in, enthralled as she was. Aided by the magic of the collar, Alef had made Tao into an active participant in her own corruption, her mind eager to change itself to something more pleasing to her mistress. Alef felt a tremor of pleasure run through the elf's mind as she felt the object of her adoration fully enter and take control of her psyche. Alef reflected that Tao's transformation into her ideal vision of the elf was progressing smoothly, but there were still some final tweaks to be made.  
  
Alef wound her way through Tao's mind and found what she was looking for. Buried and suppressed by her new longing and adoration for Alef was a pocket of desire for someone else. Alef concentrated and began to pull forward daydreams and fantasies, the thoughts taking the form of glass spheres with images playing through them. The cluster of spheres Alef pulled out all had a very common theme. Some were lurid and very carnal, some were nothing more than pleasant conversations that had never happened or imagined long walks and romantic moments, but they all showed Tao in the company of a certain famed swordsman.  
  
“Max...” Alef whispered, and smiled. It was unsurprising. The leader of the Shining Force was handsome, friendly, very physically fit, and what Alef thought was most important, very powerful. It was logical for Tao to have had an attraction for him. Alef had never understood the attraction of the male form when a better option existed, but she knew enough to recognize what was 'sexy' to those who mistakenly lusted after men instead of women.  
  
Of course, such desires simply would not do in her first slave. She murmured some words and began the obliteration of those last lingering shreds of Tao's heterosexuality. Alef began molding Tao's mind like clay as she spoke into her ears. “You love only me, Tao. You love Alef, the foxling mage, not that human Max. You never did love him, never cared a whit for him. He's just another man, and men hold no interest for you.”

Tao smiled dreamily in her trance and eagerly accepted Alef's words, helping alter her own mind as Alef reached out to the spheres and gently touched each one, infusing them with a bit of magic and changing the scenes in each. Where one had a fantasy of Tao and Max walking arm in arm down a street in Alterone, now Alef was leading her through the streets on a leash. Where one had a dream of Max confessing his love for her and kissing her fiercely on the lips, now Alef was making the declaration that Tao was her property, and claiming her roughly. One sphere had a raunchy fantasy of Tao and Max rutting fiercely in their tent; now it was Alef's perfect naked body was entwined with Tao's. One by one, each sphere was changed until Alef overwrote Max in all. Now the spheres all showed Alef. Alef writhing on a giant bed, Alef thrusting into Tao with a strap-on, Alef pressing her naked body against hers, Alef sighing in pleasure as Tao ate her out, a thousand different dreams all reinforcing Tao's servitude and love for her. Alef was barely aware of Tao groaning in the real world, as each change to her mind was accompanied by a surge of raw pleasure. She had not lied to her slave...the process was more wonderfully pleasing to the elf than anything ever had been or could be. With each change, the sea of glass images and memories rippled as a wave of delight swept over it, the pleasure growing greater as Alef became more and more the object of Tao's all-consuming love, passion and devotion.

Alef almost broke out of the trance from delight when she discovered something else, a lovely surprise hidden in the depths of Tao's mind. There was another desire, one long repressed and walled off. She smiled toothily to herself as she brought it forth and viewed it.

Max wasn't the only person Tao had ever longed for. Deep in her subconscious mind, Alef drew forth long dormant fantasies about the noble woman that had taken Tao in from the cold and given her a place to live in the castle. The beautiful princess that had saved her and taught her magic.  
  
“Anri...” Alef whispered to herself, suppressing laughter. “Of course. Of course...Well, now. That I can certainly work with.”

She was almost tempted to leave these memories be, a tiny, forgotten corner of Tao's mind left unmarked by Alef's control...but no. Not for Tao, Alef's first. Alef wanted this woman above any that followed her to be wholly Alef's own, every piece of her molded to perfection.  
  
Alef went to work, pulling the desires and daydreams free of their prison and weaving them back into Tao's mind with more power, more force behind them. Blurry, half-remembered dreams of long silver hair resting against an elven chest, of warm embraces and soft words, were cast into sharp resolution, so fresh in Tao's mind that it was as though she had only just imagined them, reborn as fully fleshed out fantasies rooted as deeply in her mind as her own name. Anri was kissing Tao under the moon, holding her gently as their naked bodies writhed in ecstasy, exploring her body as she did the same.

Alef smiled again and decided to make a few final touches. The dreams twisted from scenes of love to scenes of lust and power. Tao wasn't just kissing Anri now. She was claiming her, as Alef had claimed herself! Gentle lovemaking turned into fierce fucking as Tao and Anri battled for dominance on the bed, their bodies bucking against each other, mouths and hands constantly searching for a way to make the other scream in pleasured submission. Another fantasy: victorious, Tao was bringing Anri, now her cowed pleasure slave, to Tao's own mistress Alef, and the three devolved into a tangled mass of limbs and moans on a bed large enough only to be found in dreams. As before, Alef slowly and carefully changed each desire to better suit the emerging personality she was molding for Tao. Tao would love only her, but her lust would know no bounds. With her mistress' blessing, she would seek out and bring back many partners for her to share. She would be Alef's hawk, hunting for her owner, bringing many more slaves into the fold, all for the pleasure of her mistress.

Alef stopped for a moment to consider her work. As a final thought, she found Tao's moral center and submerged it deep inside her, overwriting it with a single directive of obedience. That done, she finally snapped back to her physical body with a gasp, her eyes flying open as Tao lay still between her breasts, still breathing evenly. A moment later, Tao opened her eyes as well, turning to Alef with a newly kindled lust and adoration behind them. Tao stayed pressed up against Alef, but straightened up, so that where Alef's breasts had once cradled her head, now they gently touched Tao's own smooth orbs. Alef sighed at the pleasant sensation.  
  
“Go ahead,” Alef told her, growling lightly. “Don't hold back.”  
  
Tao didn't say a word, but immediately pushed Alef down to the bed, latching her mouth to Alef's as her hands grasped and kneaded the beastwoman's chest. Alef returned the kiss greedily, but was amazed at the sheer force and passion behind Tao's mouth now that the ritual was complete. In all her experiences, Alef had never been kissed like this, with this much passion, this much raw desire and need for her! The kiss broke when both of them gasped for air, Tao surprising Alef by diving right back in a second later. For a time, the air was filled with nothing but the sound of smacking tongues and the soft shifting of hands over flesh.  
  
The second time the kiss broke for air, Alef was left gasping, while Tao dragged her mouth down to her breast and sucked it hard, and her fingers found and entered Alef's most intimate place. Alef looked down and caught Tao's gaze, those eyes full of wild lust and single-minded adoration, an intense, clear focus on Alef that sent thrills of indescribable happiness down her spine. She had done this. This was her work. She had taken a mild, shy mage that felt rejected and lonely, and turned her into a sex-machine that adored her, that loved her as faithfully and ardently as any person could ever be capable of, whose only focus in life was her. Alef need only look into those eyes to know that the only thing on Tao's mind was her, was making love to her. The entire rest of the Force could walk in right now, and Tao would not care, so focused was she on Alef's pleasure. The orgasmic elation of seeing the fruits of her power...it was indescribable.

Tao moved her mouth down from Alef's breast to her clitoris, gently licking and sucking at the little nub as her eyes kept staring into Alef's with their new half-lidded gaze. That seductive stare sent almost as much pleasure through Alef's body as Tao's zealous licking, the magnitude of change wrought amplifying the pleasure tenfold for the cunning magic user. She had succeeded, had complete possession of a woman of good looks and ample power. Tao's life, her entire being, really was hers...and Tao loved her for it!

Tao slowly moved her mouth down to Alef's vagina, her gaze finally vanishing behind Alef's legs and nethers, her hands gripping Alef's ass cheeks as she dove in to give what was now the love of her life a tongue-lashing she would never forget. The passion, the control, the knowledge that this was her very first victory in a long line to come, all of it hit Alef at once, and when Tao suddenly snuck a finger back in to press against her G-spot, she simply could not take any more. Alef threw her head back and outright howled brokenly in pleasure, a loud, bestial shriek, unable to restrain herself at the onslaught. She came hard and fast, barely avoiding squirting Tao in the face as the elf replaced tongue with finger so she could plant her lips lightly at Alef's neck. Alef let a sigh of pleasure escape her at the kiss, Tao gently fondling her breast again and kissing her shoulders and neck while she let Alef recover. After a few minutes, she withdrew from her lover to reach beneath the bed, pulling out a long, double-ended dildo, and slowly pushing it within her.  
  
“I can't believe...I waited so long for this...” Tao murmured, biting her lip as she positioned the toy at Alef's sopping entrance. “It's all so clear now...All so simple...I, I knew it before, I can remember that I did, but somehow it's like...like I only really understand it right now...”  
  
Alef was still catching her breath as Tao slowly began to thrust into her. The fox-woman let out a low moan and spread her legs wider as Tao grasped one of those legs for balance, not stopping her entry until their nether lips were almost kissing and the sex toy had almost completely disappeared within them. Tao rubbed her breasts against Alef's leg, before stopping and staring into her eyes.  
  
“I knew from the minute I saw you, you would be my master in all things...My mistress.”

Tao caressed Alef's upward raised leg with her chest again, until her face came to her foot, which she licked lovingly. Slowly, the pair began to thrust against each other, as Alef smiled slyly.

“What about Max?” she asked, mock innocence heavy in her voice. The question was followed by a gasp of pleasure as Tao began bucking harder against her.

"Max?" Tao asked in utter confusion, not even realizing what Alef was asking for a moment. When she did understand, her face was that of flabbergasted shock that such a question could even be asked.  
  
“Who cares about Max? He's just a stupid man! You...you are a goddess!” Tao shouted, eyes clenched shut as she grasped Alef's leg and drove herself against the toy that connected them. “You are the reason I exist! My reason for life!”

Alef had a reply in mind, but the sudden increase in pace left her struggling to catch up for a while, as both pleasure and exertion wracked her body. Tao's hair had come undone in her passion, and was now whipping around her face, partially concealing the ecstasy that dominated it. Alef found the sight extremely arousing, and with the next few thrusts from Tao, she reached her climax with a long moan.  
  
The orgasmic haze parted long enough for Alef to see Tao whip her head back, causing her hair to fall back from her face. Without the hair to hide it, Alef saw Tao's pleasure-wrenched face in full, and realized something else. Even though this was the greatest pleasure, the greatest sex in Alef's life...Tao was enjoying this just as much! Even though they had had sex before, this was the first time she had done so fueled by the false fantasies implanted in her, the first time she was acting on impulses that now seemed to her very real, and very strong. Tao believed fully that all her life her greatest desire was to sleep with Alef, to be her servant, that the highest bliss was her order. Alef was Tao's dream girl, the complete, forever love of her life. Now she was doing what she 'always' dreamed of, and loving every minute of it, happy and content and pleasured as only the fulfillment of being with one's true love could provide. As Tao thrust again, that thought alone was enough to send Alef over the edge once more.

It was some time later when they finally stopped.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

Alef exhaled slowly, spread lazily across the bed and soaking up the post-coital bliss from her and Tao's long lovemaking session. It had been wonderful like nothing before...and that was just with one.  
  
She tilted her head and gazed at the naked elf curled up against her. The curled grin that so often graced her mouth these days made its appearance as she let her eyes trail up and down Tao's body, on full display since the sheets had been thrown from the bed earlier. Tao gazed back at Alef in adoration, a soft, half-conscious smile on her lips. This moment was exquisite...but it was missing one last thing.  
  
Alef chuckled as she leaned over to the Demon Rod, set upright against the wall just next to the bed. She gripped it tightly and felt the familiar pulse of raw power that lurked just beneath its surface. She'd been experimenting quite extensively with the Rod's power over the mind in the last few days...but what about its power over the body? What could it do there?  
  
“Tao...I think it's about time we make our relationship...a little clearer to everyone else, don't you think?” Alef asked, pulling herself up to sitting.

“Whatever you think, mistress,” Tao replied, still smiling that dreamy smile. “Whatever you wish, I will obey.”

“And if I want to make it clear to all what claim I have on you?”

“Then mark me as yours, Mistress...mark me as yours forever! It will be one of my greatest, deepest fantasies come true!”

Alef smiled and raised the Demon Rod, and did exactly that.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

“Finally, a real bed!” Anri cried as she ran forward and let herself fall on the mattress in front of her. Mae slowly walked in after her, closing the door to their shared room with a slight smile on her lips.  
  
“Is it really that big of a deal?” she asked, crossing her arms and looking around the room the pair had claimed for their own use while the Shining Force was in Runefaust. It was a little smaller than what Mae would have expected for the future queen of Guardiana, but a lot larger than what she would have expected for herself. One of the perks of being a royal consort, she supposed. Anri rolled over on the bed and gave her a smile.

“I can endure trail conditions just as well as you trained soldiers can,” Anri said, the smile growing, “but I don't have to like it.” Anri rolled over again on the bed and sighed. “Oh, I'm going to sleep well tonight. A real bed...”  
  
Mae frowned a little, but said nothing as her hooves clomped against the stone tiles that made up the floor, looking around. “I don't see another.”

“Well of course not, silly,” Anri laughed. “We only need one bed, after all...”

Mae's frown deepened, and Anri sat up on the bed as she realized the problem.

“Oh. Ohhh. I forgot...Oh, I'm so sorry, Mae...” Anri said, hopping off the bed immediately.

“Centaur,” Mae quietly said, nodding towards the big bed Anri had been rolling on a second earlier. “Things like that weren't made for me.”

“Well, it's easily fixed. I'll send for the cushions you sleep on...er...” Anri paused. “A centaur bed really isn't that different from what we had in the tent, is it?”

“Just more cushions,” Mae said. “Sometimes one gigantic cushion if you can afford it. Rich centaurs sometimes have elaborate set ups, but yeah...Pile of cushions and blankets, is what we use.”  
  
Anri nodded. “Well, I'm sure there won't be a problem getting them. Centaurs are a large part of the population here, so...so there will be plenty around...” The princess paused, frowning as a thought occurred to her. Mae noticed immediately.

“What's wrong?” she asked.

“Nothing...nothing much,” Anri said. “Just realized I won't be sleeping in real beds very often any more.”

Mae frowned, looked at her hooves. “If...If I'm causing you discomfort...”

“Oh, don't be ridiculous!” Anri laughed, looking into Mae's eyes with a smile. “It's a small, small sacrifice to make to fall asleep in your arms. Just not one I expected to make.” Anri sighed. “It's more just my realizing that...it probably won't be the last sacrifice. For either of us. I've known things would be complicated, for us to be together, but I just sort of pushed that off in my mind, thought of it as a problem for later. Now that we're so close to the end of this war...now that we've found that even such a little piece of normality as sleeping in a room brings complications with it...it's just now hitting me that from this point on, every part of my life and your life is going to be very different than it would have been. Centaur and human...knight and queen...we're going to have a lot of adjusting ahead of us.”  
  
Anri smiled again. “But for two women who've faced the worst evils the world has to offer...I think we'll be fine.”

“I know we'll be fine,” Mae said, trotting over to take Anri's hands in hers. The pair looked into each other's eyes for a moment, before their lips reached for each other...

The sound of knocking interrupted the two's about-to-be intimate moment. Anri sighed as Mae growled in irritation and stomped to the door, flinging it wide.

“What?!” Mae shouted, almost immediately deflating as she saw who it was. “Oh. Hello Ken, what is it?”

“Sorry to bother you,” Ken said, wincing at Mae's opening outburst. Mae felt like wincing herself...of all the people of the Force that did not deserve her misplaced ire, the bright, friendly, hard-working Ken deserved it the least. “Max told me to tell you two to come down to the war-room when you can. Amon, Balbaroy, and Hanzou just came in with the scouting reports, and he needs the new battle plan before the briefing tomorrow. Nova's already on his way, so...”  
  
Mae groaned and ran a hand over her face. “I never thought I'd say this, but I wish I wasn't such a good knight. We'll be along shortly, Ken. Go tell Max he can expect us shortly.”  
  
“Right away!” Ken said, snapping a smart salute as he turned and dashed back down the hall. Anri quietly walked up beside Mae.

“Duty calls?” she asked. Mae nodded, turning to her lover.

“Duty calls,” Mae agreed. She pointed to Anri. “But when we're done with this duty call, I expect a booty call.”

“What did we say about imitating Vankar's horrible come-ons?” Anri asked, the ghost of a smile dancing on her lips. Mae shook her head, grinning ruefully.

“Sorry. I'm not so good at trying not to be grim and serious,” Mae said, looking out into the hall beyond the open door. “I guess I'll have to try harder.”

“Don't feel like you have to,” Anri purred, putting her arms around Mae's waist. “I love you just the way you are.”

“I know,” Mae said happily, looping an arm back around Anri. “But come on. We've got a world to help save.”

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

It was hours and a few discreet trips to local stores later before Alef smiled to herself and put aside the Demon Rod. She lay the magical artifact down carefully on the single dresser within the inn room, with all the care one might show a newborn infant.

“Tao!” Alef barked. “Let me inspect you!”

Tao stiffened at the order, standing at attention. Alef smiled and walked around her fellow mage, letting her eyes roam up and down her new slave.

Alef observed the changes she had managed to make since they had reached the safety of the town, and was pleased. Tao's hair was now tightly pulled back and done up in a tall ponytail, a foot straight over her head and bound with red leather straps. Her lips were coated in black lipstick, her eyelids in the same shade of eyeshadow. Her spiked collar was still in place, one of the few pieces of her old clothes to remain. Her robes were replaced by a black leather bustier that left the midriff exposed and thong, complete with elbow gloves and thigh-high boots of the same color. Her breasts had grown a cup size or two as well. Alef held an equal appreciation for both large and small breasts, but the point of the change wasn't as much for aesthetic appeal as just another way of testing her power and concretely marking her control over the elven mage. Tao's body was her property now, and she could change it as she liked. In fact, she could invoke much greater physical changes if she liked...but that was an experiment for another time, and another woman. Tao also now had two tattoos on her ass, one for each cheek: on the left, “Alef's”, and the right, “Bitch.” Alef shivered in pleasure as she looked at the blatant statement of ownership written into Tao's flesh. The final pieces to the outfit was a large cloak in Tao's old colors, and her old shoulder-pieces. Alef had considered replacing the shoulder-pieces with something new, but decided against it for now. When the cloak was not drawn back, Tao just looked like she had a new hairstyle... and that would help the change seem less drastic to the rest of the Force. Alef wanted to flaunt her control, but not quite so much as to warrant Max, Nova, Mae, or Anri checking up on just what was going on.  
  
At least, not yet.

Tao herself had changed far more drastically than that, of course. Her expression, which had been sad and withdrawn for so long, was now cold, confident, and to Alef's satisfaction, a little cruel. Reflecting the changes the foxling had wrought to her mind, Tao no longer looked like a nervous maiden, eager to please and easily hurt, but a woman well versed in sensuality and pleasure, confident and formidable. Her movements were languid and deliberate, her gaze knowing and amused...Alef looked at the vision of sexuality before her and wished she had found the Demon Rod years ago.  
  
“Tao, I think you are absolute perfection,” Alef crooned, trailing a finger down the other mage's cheek. She leaned forward and gave her a long, sultry kiss. Tao smiled slightly, looking at Alef with half-lidded eyes.

“I'm glad you approve, my Mistress.”

Alef's grin widened. “I'll show you how much I approve later. I think it's time we chose our next addition, hm? Now...what about the princess and her protector...” Alef shook her head, a gleam in her eye. “No, they shall be the sweetest catch. I think I'll leave them for last. Tao, about your sister Diane...”

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

Alef herself was surprised how easy getting Diane alone was, but then again, she supposed she shouldn't have been. It was child's play for Tao to ask to speak to her sister 'in private', and even though Diane was off-put by Tao's refusal to give her even a hint as to what was going on, she had still followed her sister through the inn to Alef's room, where the mage waited patiently on the edge of her bed, Demon Rod in hand. Diane's look of surprise had been mild when she opened the door and found it occupied, but the look didn't last long.  
  
“What? What's Alef doing here, Tao, I thought you sa--” Diane began to say. She was silenced immediately by a flash of ruby light from Alef's eyes as she made a gesture with the Demon Rod. The beastfolk mage smiled as Diane stared blankly ahead, temporarily dazed by the Muddle spell. It wouldn't last for long, Diane was as strong-willed as they came, but a moment was all Alef needed. Tao moved into the room and carefully shut the door behind the three women, listening carefully for anyone approaching during this most vulnerable time of her mistress' plan.

Alef caught Diane's gaze and held it, tapping into the power of the Demon Rod again to bore into the archer's mind through her eyes. Trying something different, Alef decided to change Diane's mind by brute force alone, blasting her consciousness with pure, unbridled desire, forcefully implanting a deeply rooted lust for women of all types into her brain. Diane's mind resisted strongly, but Alef's power was great, and more than that, the weapon she attacked with was lust, desire, sexual excitement...and Alef had unlimited reserves of it to hammer Diane's mind with. It was not long before Alef could see that lust within Diane's mind taking hold, too deeply to be removed, a deep glow seething in the mental sea of her thoughts and memories that illuminated them all.  
  
After a moment's pause, she then decided to go a step further, and give Diane a gnawing need to pleasure them. She wouldn't just want women as badly as Alef herself did...her desire to please them would be all-consuming, as well. And as an experiment, Alef programmed the elf's brain to give her immense pleasure whenever she gave another such pleasure, so great that Alef had no doubt that Diane would actually enjoy the act of pleasing more than that of receiving.  
  
As she had with Tao, Alef also implanted a deep desire to serve her, and a need to obey her, but on a whim, she left those traits latent. They would emerge when needed, but otherwise lay dormant in Diane's new consciousness. Diane would be just as broken to Alef's will...but she would not know it, not understand as Tao did that she was slave and Alef was Mistress. Alef also decided to take a different route with Diane's personality. Rather than carefully mold it like Tao's, Alef just channeled the Demon Rod into Diane's volatile, vulnerable mind as it reeled from the power soaking it and rearranging it, and gave it a single directive to interpret as it would:  
  
**Aggressive**.  
  
After some thought, Alef initiated the channel-gaze again, this time copying every memory of every sexual technique to please a woman she had into Diane's brain. Just to make things interesting, she drew some power from the rod and implanted a very slight hypnotic ability into Diane. The archer wouldn't know it, but when sufficiently driven, her gaze would subtly suggest to other women that a night with her would be unimaginably pleasurable. The skills Alef implanted into her would almost undoubtedly make that true, too.  
  
Diane was now a lesbian pleasuring machine, a barely controllable primal force of desire, much to the foxling mage's satisfaction. Alef stepped back and made a motion with her free hand. Tao released Diane, the pink-haired archer slumping forward with a gasp. She did not fall, but her breathing was strained, her eyes blank. Alef supposed her mind was processing all the new information...all the new programming she had placed within it. Alef let her have a few minutes before she spoke.  
  
“Diane,” Alef purred. “How are you feeling?”  
  
“Fuck!” Diane shouted, rubbing her head. “I feel like the fucking Pao caravan ran straight into my godsdamned head! What the fuck happened? Last I remember is sis sayin' I needed to see something.”  
  
Alef grinned. “Tao, come here.”  
  
Tao moved over to Alef's side without a moment's hesitation. Alef grabbed her and flung her robe open, revealing to Diane her sister's new look.

“Damn, sis! You look fuckin' sexy as hell!” Diane said, trailing her eyes over Tao's enhanced figure, on full display thanks to her new clothes. Diane blinked and put a hand to her mouth. “What...what made me say that?!”

Alef gave Diane a wink and then brought her mouth down on the exposed top of Tao's left breast, causing both elves to gasp with pure delight. Alef sucked and nibbled, Tao squirming in place as Diane shifted uncomfortably for a while. Alef noted with interest the conflicted look growing on Diane's face. Was the conditioning not taking hold?  
  
Alef withdrew her mouth, causing Tao to whimper a little. “Tao, I think you should show Diane what you wanted to talk to her about.”

Tao nodded eagerly and Alef allowed her to slowly undress her, robes falling softly to the floor as Diane stood there, watching everything with wide eyes and heavy breathing.  
  
“This is...is it really...” Diane murmured, staring openly at the naked woman in front of her. “I...I feel...”  
  
“I wanted to know if you wanted to share some of this,” Tao asked, giving Alef's now unclothed rear a loving caress.

“What? But...I'm not...that way...” Diane said, rubbing her forehead as she swayed in place.

“Are you sure?”

“I...Well...” Diane faltered. Her mind was a chaotic maelstrom of contradictory impulses and thoughts, Alef's new persona warring with the old. Her memories of how she had always acted, how she had always felt, and what she had always been interested in were still there, still trying to dictate who she was...yet every aspect of her personality was different from what those memories showed! She was no proper, simple and chaste heterosexual girl, she knew it deep in her bones, deep in her soul...and yet for every moment of her life she had acted as one, and she could remember growing into that personality, yet everything about her life before this moment felt wrong to who she knew she was!  
  
As the inner struggle was fought, Alef slowly licked at Tao's neck, causing the elf to close her eyes and smile broadly, letting out a satisfied purr as Alef slowly made her way back to her breast. Alef savored the taste of Tao's bosom, before withdrawing and slowly undoing the other mage's clothes, Tao moving to assist her as they slowly undid lace after lace on the tight garment. Diane took in a sharp intake of breath and let it out slowly as she watched with growing interest as Alef stripped her sister, then pushed her down on the bed and began to love her loins. Tao's moans slowly built up in volume before reaching a crescendo, screaming in bliss as Alef brought her to orgasm. This was the final straw in Diane's mental war.  
  
With that scream, suddenly it made perfect sense to Diane to want to fuck another woman, all women, even her own sisters. No, not "even" them, _especially_ them! What at all was attractive about a man, when she could instead caress smooth curves and smoother skin? The darting and dancing of tongues, the nimble movements of fingers...the sweet smell of her lover's arousal...all these awaited Diane if she just gave in.

She did so.

The programming jolted awake, and with a startling swiftness completed overwriting the stubborn remnants of Diane's old personality, and installing in their place, a loud, lustful punk. She couldn't explain how she had acted all her life before now, and she wasn't going to bother. What was important was who she was right now! Diane fell to a knee and shook, causing Alef and Tao to cease their lovemaking and sit up to better observe what had happened.

“Diane?” Alef asked, concerned. She cared deeply for her slaves, after all. “Are you...all right?”

“Hell yes, I'm all right!” Diane shouted, whipping her head up and looking at the two mages on the bed with frenzied lust in her eyes. She looked half mad, as though a lifetime of repression were bursting at the seams and about to let loose a wild creature. Which, essentially, had suddenly become the truth. “Sis, you better make room, 'cause I'm taking you up on that offer! Let me at that pussy! I'll eat it all day!”

Diane pounced onto the bed and Tao obliged her with sisterly pride, moving around to Alef's back as her mistress grinned and spread her legs wide for her new lover. Diane wasted no time in crawling up to Alef, lowering her head to savagely lick at her pussy, occasionally trailing her tongue up to her clit before giving it a nibble.

Alef hissed in pleasure and leaned back into Tao, who smiled as she cradled Alef between her breasts, gently rubbing them against the sides of the beastwoman's head while her sister gleefully lashed the foxling's slit with her tongue. Alef was in heaven. She had one gorgeous slave acting as a pillow, with another using her mouth to send absolutely delicious waves of pleasure through her. She reached down and let her hands rest on the back of Diane's head, gently pushing her down into her cunt, which only seemed to inflame the archer's passions more. Diane's vigorous licking redoubled and Alef found herself reaching orgasm far quicker than she thought she would. The skills she had sought to implant into Diane certainly seemed to have taken hold!  
  
Diane sat up from between Alef's legs, licking her lips in satisfaction before tugging at her shirt with a scowl.   “Gods, why am I wearing these lame-ass clothes!” Diane said, gripping at the fabric with contempt. “It's so...drab! It's like boring was woven into a cloth that I was forced to wear! How have I never noticed this before!?”

“Don't worry...I'll help you out of them,” Alef said with a knowing smile, sitting up herself and leaning forward to slide her fingers under Diane's clothes and begin to unbutton, unfasten, and untie the various bits preventing Diane from disrobing. Alef gave the archer a wink as she worked. “Maybe after this, we can go out and find something a bit more suited to you, hmmm?”

“Fine by me!” Diane said. “I can barely stand to wear these things again, they're so dull! I need an outfit that screams who I am and what I do!”

“And what do you do?” Tao asked innocently. Diane's lips curled in what could only be called an evil grin.

“Every woman I see!” Diane said, and Tao broke into a similar grin.

Alef then yanked Diane's shirt down, exposing her breasts. Alef took only a moment to appraise them before leaning in and taking one into her mouth, causing Diane to curse loudly in surprised pleasure. Not one to be left out, Tao pressed herself against Alef's back, her hands gently rubbing the foxling's shoulders before sliding down her sides to her stomach, then up again to clasp her breasts.

“So soft...” Tao whispered, fondling Alef's breasts gently as the foxling sucked Diane's breasts in turn. Tao buried her face into Alef's neck and inhaled deeply, before simply pressing against her back, leaning on her and letting herself soak in the simple motions she was making. Alef's hands had been just as busy as her mouth, and while her teeth and tongue caused Diane to moan and groan, her fingers had managed to lift off most of the archer's remaining clothes. Alef leaned forward and let her mouth slowly work its way down to Diane's impatiently waiting vagina, her hands slowly crawling over each inch of her flesh as she did so. When it finally reached the sopping wet slit, Alef kissed it hard and deep with her tongue. She thrust it as deep as she could into Diane's tunnel, swirling it around and tasting as much of her as she could before withdrawing a bit to suck on her clitoris, then slipping two fingers into her and applying gentle pressure to a certain spot within her...

Diane was almost lost in the sheer amount of pure physical bliss Alef was giving her. She didn't know why she had never thought of this before, the woman between her legs was far more desirable, far more skilled than any of the men she had slept with in the past! She had never found so much joy and pleasure in sex before as she was having now, and that would have been true even without Alef's mental makeover. She was a lesbian. She was a lesbian! The thought of that sent a giddy jolt through her, as if to confirm for herself what she now knew, what she should've known for a while. As Alef ate her out, Diane let her mind run wild, thought of all the women she could have, thought of all the sensations...all the sex that awaited her in this new chapter of her life. Then Alef slipped two fingers into her and her world exploded as she received her first lesbian orgasm. Diane was only conscious of two things: the immense pleasure, and the loud scream of ecstasy she gave as she soaked Alef's hand with her juices. She saw Alef slowly withdraw her hand and taste her fingers before smiling.

“Welcome to my service, Diane.”

Then she knew only dreams for a long while.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

The next day proved to be quite a show for Alef. When the foxling mage arrived at the headquarters for Max's briefing on the castle assault, she was flanked by the newly transformed elven sisters. The reactions she saw that day, she would remember for the rest of her life.

Tao strode confidently alongside her mistress, head held high even as most of her new outfit was concealed by the cape wrapped around her. An outbreak of murmurs was had nonetheless, people pointing and whispering about the new makeup, hair, and even attitude of the fire mage. Given the slow changes being wrought on her before, though, the surprise wasn't quite as large as Alef thought it might be. No, the real show for the group was Diane.

If people were only a little surprised by Tao's new hairstyle, they were flat out shocked by Diane's new look. Gone were the flowing pink locks and sensible archer's garb. Now her head was shaved on either side, with her remaining long hair done up in a sleek mohawk, with the crest of pink hair on the top of her head elegantly draped over the right side of her head and the locks at the back of her head carelessly tumbling down her neck and just past the center of her shoulders. Her gloves and boots had been replaced by black leather variants, with small steel spikes ringing the edges. Her green tunic had been cut up to make a pair of hot pants, and the archer was not wearing a shirt. Instead, her leather shoulder guard now had an additional strap that acted to barely cover her breasts, which seemed somehow to have been reduced in size down to an extremely attractive A cup. Equally inexplicably, she also seemed at least a foot taller than before, now standing as tall as Balbaroy and Zylo. Diane now also sported multiple piercings of shining metal. Several small rings, studs, and clips now graced her long ears, while her lip held a pair of very small rings. A gold nose ring connected to one of the left earrings with a fine chain, and when Diane stuck her tongue out at a gawking Lowe, Anri could see she had a tongue stud.  
  
Alef had grown to be very, very fond of that particular piercing.

Most shocking of all were the tattoos, which were on full display thanks to the large amount of bare flesh exposed on Diane. Diane's skin was a virtual tapestry of debauchery now, every inch of skin below her neck decorated with an elaborate series of tattoos, all depicting women performing various sex acts on each other. Anri was shocked to see that she knew some of the women...they were members of the Shining Force!

On Diane's back was drawn Alef, with her head thrown back in ecstasy, each of the female Shining Force members caressing her with hands or mouth, with Diane herself eating her out. Anri was shocked to see herself in Diane's body mural, sandwiched between Diane and her sister Tao. Her lover Mae was pinning Mishaela to the ground and ravishing her. She even saw the birdwoman Amon being pleasured by Diane along her right arm. Balbaroy saw the same thing, going quickly from surprised to fuming at the lewd depiction of his wife.

“Just what is that?!” he roared, pointing, his usual cold demeanor vanishing in an instant.

“These tattoos? Mmmm. They're promises of things to come,” Diane said, giving Balbaroy a cold smile as she placed emphasis on the last word.

“You've got some sense of humor, elf. My wife would never do...what you etched onto your body.”

“Oh? Are you so sure?” Diane laughed. “...Because I'd be willing to bet I could convince her. I've never had a bird-woman before. All the feathers might make it interesting...”

“Diane, I don't know what made you think this joke would be funny, but it's not,” Amon said, shaking her head at the archer. “I'm happily married, and you know that.”

“Diane...” Alef quietly said, giving her a look. “...Is this really the time?”

“Listen to your friend, Diane,” Balbaroy said, eyes narrowing. “I have precious little patience with the sort of thing you joke about.”

“Now, Balbaroy, calm down,” Torasu said, laying a hand on the birdman's side, the diminutive healer unable to reach his shoulder. “Diane's clearly not herself right now. People deal with stress in strange ways when it gets to them, and--”

“I didn't fight across two continents and get turned into stone to put up with this,” Balbaroy spat. “Not now. Not when we're almost done.”

“Balbaroy, you know Diane!” Torasu whispered. “You know what she's really like!”

“I'm not the Diane you knew. I'm better,” Diane declared, keen elven ears picking up the words with ease as she crossed her arms with a languid smile.

“Er...Diane...just because you got a few new piercings and tattoos...even a new outlook, that's no reason to treat your friends this way,” Amon said, her voice strangely uncertain. She was about to say more, but Diane cut her off with another peal of laughter.

“You haven't even seen all of my piercings.” Diane winked as she leaned forward, placing a hand on the wall next to Amon's head. “But I'd be glad to show you, you know...”

“Diane, that's enough!” Alef snapped. The aggression she had planted in Diane was strong, overriding the need to obey Alef's suggestion from a moment ago. Apparently, Alef would have to clearly order Diane if she wanted to be sure to have her obedience. She lowered her voice to a whisper, so small that only an elf's ears could hear it. “If the Dragon wakes, all the fun stops.”

Diane scowled, turning away from Amon, though remaining very close to her. “Whatever,” she said, pulling back a little from Amon. The second Balbaroy looked elsewhere, though, she deftly slipped a hand underneath Amon's breastplate and gave a light squeeze and a wink, before turning and walking away. Amon gasped and blinked, not sure whether she was more surprised Diane had dared to fondle her with so many people around...or surprised she had let her. The touch had been... far more pleasant than she thought it would.

“Comrades!” Alef shouted, clapping her hands to draw attention to herself and away from the outrageous archer. “Tao and I have a quick announcement to make, then we can get back to planning how to save our world! Tao?”

Tao looked around the group, all eyes on her as she smiled and spoke.

"I'm a lesbian! And I'm in love with the woman who helped me realize who I really was!” Tao shouted, punctuating her words by turning to Alef and wrapping her arms around her, planting her mouth firmly against hers and kissing her deeply. The assembled Shining Force was stunned for a few moments, before Anri and Mae slowly began clapping. It wasn't long before everyone else joined in. The news was surprising to most, but Tao was well liked, even accounting for her recent coldness to everyone but Alef. Most were just glad she seemed to be happy now.  
  
Diane's following announcement was less well received, though whether this was because of her earlier outburst or her new demeanor was uncertain. “Guess what, bitches and brutes?” Diane sang out, stepping forward and putting her hands on her hips. “I'm a lesbian too! But unlike my sister, I'm not tied down or anything! The ladies out here, you see something you like? Talk to me...” Diane licked her lips and smiled. “I'll fuck your brains out!” “

Y'know, y'might not think much of our smarts, but I don't think anyone really needed that little announcement,” Lyle said in his usual drawl. “It's sorta spelled out right there on your skin, innit?”

“Oh fuck off, Lyle,” Diane said, scowling as she crossed her arms. “Let me have my big reveal.”  
  
“You've had it and more, Diane,” Anri said pointedly, finally deciding to weigh in. “Now is time for more pressing business. It's time to plan war.”

Announcement made, Max and Nova hastily tried to get everyone back on topic as to the more pressing matter of the war. Diane, Alef, and Tao took their usual places in the hall, though some noted both Diane and Tao had a hard time keeping their hands off of the mage. More than once an elven hand snuck under robes to caress, tickle, or fondle when the sisters thought no one was looking. Eventually the commotion died down.  
  
As some semblance of order returned to the briefing, Amon found her mind wandering to Diane's tattoos over and over, and that single, pleasantly warm touch on her breast...

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

“What in Hades is going on with Diane and Tao?!” Mae fumed, trotting restlessly back and forth. She, Anri, and Max were gathered in the headquarter's optimistically-called 'war room'. In reality, it was just an empty store room that Nova had set up a large table in, and had decorated with the various maps and lists that were necessary to plan strategy. It served well enough for that.

“I don't know,” Max said, arms crossed as he looked down at the map of Runefaust Castle spread out on the table. “I do know that they couldn't have possibly picked a worse time for their little personal makeover...we hit Ramladu tomorrow, whatever happens. We HAVE to.” The leader of the Shining Force sighed and rubbed his eyes. “This is...Some of this is probably my fault. Tao...she was...interested in me, and I...”  
  
“Max...” Anri said, laying a hand on the swordsman's shoulder. “I doubt it's that. Tao's always been a little emotional, but she's strong at heart. And I can't imagine you let her down in any other way than easy.”  
  
“I don't know,” Mae said, scowling. “Some people, they get slighted, they go crazy lashing out at everyone, or go to the ends of the earth to prove 'how little it affects them.' Never thought Tao was one of those, but...”  
  
“Mae,” Anri cut in again, looking at the knight evenly. Mae shook her head and went silent as Anri continued. “Tao wasn't one of those. And neither was Diane. I'm not sure what is going on exactly, but I'm no longer starting to buy the explanation of stress or personal exploration for these changes. They're just too drastic.”  
  
“Well, what else could it be?” Max asked, looking over to Anri. “Some plot of Darksol's? Why would he bother giving Diane and Tao an extreme new fashion sense and a sudden sexual reawakening? It's not his style.” Max smiled bitterly. “If this was Darksol, we wouldn't be seeing collars on Diane and Tao...we'd be seeing masks.”

Anri and Mae looked at each other for a moment, not missing the reference to Max's deceased brother Kane. Anri spoke quickly to head off the tangent.

“No, it wouldn't be Darksol...or Ramladu...” Anri said, biting her lip. “I'm not sure who it would be. Maybe it's not even a who, maybe it's a what. We've traveled so far and to so many places...Maybe Diane and Tao accidentally triggered some curse or were affected by a time-delay enchantment?”

“Is that possible?” Mae asked. Anri nodded vigorously.

“I've seen a lot of strange things during my time in the Manarinan Academy. There's any number of things that could be happening to Tao and Diane.”

“But all of them are magical?” Max asked.

“Yes,” Anri said, her hands tightening a little on her staff. “Not a single explanation for this I can think of doesn't involve magic...unless it really is just the stress getting to them.” Anri looked over to Max, who shook his head and ran a hand through his hair.

“Well...there's nothing to do about it now. We don't have time to look too far into it, and if it doesn't interfere with their fighting, we can afford to ignore it. Diane's outfit is...functional enough in battle, and Tao uses magic, so it doesn't matter what she wears.”

“Max...” Mae said, looking to the swordsman. “You saw what almost happened between Balbaroy and Diane. If I didn't know better, I'd say Diane was trying to pick a fight. Unit cohesion can't...”

“I know, Mae, I know. But we're too close. Issues about discipline, clothing, and behavior don't matter much now. No matter what's happening with Tao and Diane, it cannot be as dangerous and important as Darksol. Tomorrow we strike at Ramladu. The day after, Darksol himself, if things go well.” Max put a hand on Mae's shoulder. “We just have to keep it together for two more days. With a little luck, Torasu is right, and they're just dealing with the pressure in an unconventional way.” Max offered Mae a sly smile as he glanced at Anri. “They wouldn't be the only ones, I think."  
  
Anri and Mae looked at each other and bit their lips almost in unison at that remark. Max's expression did not change.

“Anyway, I think that will be all,” Max said, looking once more at the battle-map spread across the table. “Get some rest. When all this is over, we'll get to the bottom of this, I promise you. But if Dark Dragon rises again, the question of who's sleeping with who won't matter any more...because we'll all be sleeping in coffins."


	5. Chapter 5

The Chaos Breaker shimmered with emerald light as Max held it aloft. Anri couldn't see anything, but her magical senses, practiced and honed through years at Manarina and countless battles, could feel immense power suddenly radiating from the item. Ancient magic...ancient technology...ancient power pulsed in their leader's hand and something deep below the waves stirred. The ground shook, the seas boiled, and the Shining Force shouted to each other as everyone scrambled to hold onto something. Anri found herself stumbling, then caught in a moment by Mae's armored arms. A section of cliff-side crumbled away, sending a shrieking Lowe towards the ocean...only for Domingo's rubbery tentacles to catch, hold, and haul him back up just in time. Torasu grunted and leaned heavily on his cane, Diane swore a blue streak as she lost her footing...only Max and Hanzou seemed unaffected by the earthquake, the one protected by his sword, the other possessing near superhuman balance.

“There! THERE!” Hans shouted, pointing. He needn't have bothered. No one could've possibly missed the giant pillar of water being sent skyward as a massive bulk of shining metal, glittering lights, and worked stone emerged from the sea to greet the sky once more.

“The Castle of the Ancients...” Alef whispered, a rare tone of awe in her voice.

“The end of the war,” Mae murmured.

“The final battle,” Hanzou muttered, grim eyes locking with the millenium-old structure.

“It's done,” Max said, lowering the Chaos Breaker. “Adam... inspect the Gate of the Ancients for functionality. Report back to me on what you find. Fix what you can.”

“Order confirmed,” the robot stated, turning and trundling away with the pneumatic whine of his leg-servos filling the air. Max sighed and ran a hand down his face. Anri laid a hand on his shoulder.

“You look exhausted,” Anri said. “Maybe we should rest before pressing on.”

“Yeah... that's a good idea,” Max said, rubbing his eyes. “It'll take Adam some time to look everything over anyway...and...we should be at our best for this.” He paused. “How much... how much time do we have?”

“From what I've been able to piece together from the notes at Prompt, once Darksol begins the ritual, it will take at least three days to complete,” Anri said. “He's only ahead of us by a few hours.”

“Is there any chance he could speed that process up?” Max asked. Anri paused, considering the question.

“There is one way...he could offer himself up as a blood sacrifice to Dark Dragon,” Anri said. Max snorted.

“Then we're safe. Darksol wants to rule the world, and it's hard to do that when you're dead,” Max said. He paused. “Are you sure of this?”

“Positive,” Anri nodded, though her stomach clenched at the possibility she might be wrong.

“While waiting too long could doom us all...” Mae grit her teeth. “...so could rushing in there as we are now. Most of our spellcasters are out of magic. Most of our warriors are fatigued. Our supplies need to be redistributed.”

“Then we'll rest,” Max said, turning to the rest of the Force. He bellowed loud enough so his voice could be heard by all. “Listen up, everyone! I'm giving everyone the rest of the day and all day tomorrow to rest up and get ready! This will be the last chance you'll get to breathe easy! After this, we don't stop until Darksol is dead and the Dragon left to rot in its prison!”

A loud cheer went up from most of the Force at this pronouncement, though whether it was from the fact the war was almost over or simply the fact that they were being allowed to rest, Anri could not say.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

The fight against Ramladu had been nothing short of savage, catching the Shining Force almost off guard by the mad king's brutal assault backed by newly re-activated Ancient weapons. The Force had fought against ancient machines before...the spindly-legged Torch Eyes, the floating Steel Claws, and the bizarre mix of technological and organic components called 'Jets'...but Ramladu controlled them with a precision and skill that surprised even Anri, who had studied Ramladu's tactics carefully. To make things worse, he had only unleashed the steel tide against them after the Force had slogged through what remained of his personal guard and a small but select group of undead and warbeasts. The fight had pressed the Force to the limit and in some cases, beyond...the healers had only barely stabilized Hans, Luke, and Pelle in time to prevent their deaths. Mae looked over to Anri and they both slowly nodded. No one had expected any less from Ramladu of Runefaust than a ferocious struggle, and that is what they received. The true blow however, had not come from his morningstar, but from his dying words...the revelation that he too, had been just a puppet in Darksol's schemes. Another soul trapped by magic and forced to commit evil after evil for the glory of the Dragon. Another man who might have otherwise been a friend and ally forced to face death at the Shining Force's hands.

“It is a pity,” Adam had said in the battle's aftermath. “Had he been born at a different time, Ramladu would've made a fine commander in the Metaphan military. It is rare to see someone with the skill to command both organic and inorganic troops.”

“It's a pity he fell to darkness,” Max had said, staring at the king's corpse. “That such nobility could be corrupted...”

Anri thought she caught a glimpse of... something flash in Alef's eyes at those words, then shuddered as a thought occurred to her. Protectoria was Guardiana's sister kingdom. Both sworn to protect the Gates of the Ancients...both the keys to the Castle. It was only chance that Darksol chose one over the other. It could have been her father driven to madness and left lying broken and bloody there before the Force.

It could have been _her_.

“Anri,” Nova's gruff voice sounded close to her ear. The princess started for a moment, then turned to face the elderly advisor.

“Nova...you startled me for a moment,” Anri said, putting a hand to her chest. The dragon-man nodded.

“I can see that. What were you thinking of, so intently?”

Anri paused and looked back at Ramladu's body, closing her eyes almost violently.

“Nothing... nothing important.”

Unseen by the princess, Alef left the battlefield with Tao and Diane, smiling triumphantly as one more obstacle to her plans was removed. Unseen by Alef, the Demon Rod shimmered with ruby energy for a brief moment before going dark again.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

Mae found it strange to find the sight of Runefaust so inviting as the Force returned to the conquered city, but inviting it was after the grueling battle followed by a march to the coast and back.   “Never thought I'd be glad to see the enemy capital before the war was over,” Mae said, sighing as the Force passed through the city gates once more, beginning to split up as each decided what to do with the rest of their day. Most stayed in a group heading for the inn, and Anri and Mae were among these. Anri was riding on Mae's back at the centaur-knight's insistence. The mage-queen had protested that she was perfectly fine, quite capable of marching with everyone else, but Mae had been equally insistent that she let her carry her during the last leg of the trip. Finally, Anri had sighed and submitted, carefully climbing on and holding Mae around the waist for stability. Mae would never admit that her stubborn insistence here was more for her own benefit than Anri's...The knight simply wanted to feel Anri against her too badly now, even if it was through armor.

Diane cracked a few tawdry jokes about “Anri riding Mae bareback,” that caused a few to chuckle and Mae to glower at the irreverent archer. Most of the Force would never know how close that simple joke came to the truth. Anri didn't react at all, merely sighing and leaning against Mae's back. The gentle weight of her lover on her back and the feel of her arms wrapped around her waist was enough to stop any retaliation Mae might've normally had for Diane. It was too perfect of a moment for her to ruin with violence of word or fist.

Besides, Mae knew where Diane slept, and there was plenty of time before the final battle.

“You really didn't have to do that,” Anri said again as she dismounted Mae in front of the inn. The other Force members were already trudging to their room, either to get some well deserved sleep, or in some cases...Anri shot a look at Tao and Alef, already whispering in each other's ears, arm in arm...do more than sleep. When Mae grabbed her and nearly dragged Anri to a shadowed alcove behind the stairs, it became clear which of those two the centaur wanted.

“Mae...Mae!!!” Anri whispered. “Mae, we can't...”

“You're right...” Mae hissed, clenching her teeth and eyes shut. “Duty, duty, duty. I'm sorry, Anri...I just...Sometimes I want you so much, it's all I can do to keep a clear head.”

Anri looked around and nodded to the stairs. “No one saw,” she said in a low tone. “Let's get to our room. Quickly.”

Mae nodded, suppressing the desire to kiss her quickly before anyone could notice. The illicit nature of the act was beginning to inflame her desire a little too much for her liking. Anri started for the stairs up in her usual way, controlled and graceful. Mae waited only for a few minutes before she followed Anri up the broad, sturdy stairs, built especially with centaurs in mind. She did so as nonchalantly as she could, mind all too aware of how it would look for the two of them to rush to bed at nearly the same time.

Mae found Anri waiting for her outside their room, the only soul in the small hall. She opened her mouth to speak, but Mae didn't let her finish, instead planting an almost crushing kiss on her lips and taking a step forward to press Anri against the wall. Anri's protests quickly stopped and she instead moaned in appreciation at this show of passion, allowing Mae to explore her mouth and body. Mae pressed harder against Anri, one hand clumsily seeking out her nethers while another grasped her breast through her robe greedily. Anri let out a short cry of surprise, smiling at the contact, but Mae growled in irritation as her work was hampered.

“Damn gauntlets...” Mae hissed, working at removing the armor. Anri put a hand on Mae's and shook her head.

“Inside,” Anri whispered, inclining her to the open door. “Inside the room. Come on. Quickly.”

“Quickly,” Mae agreed as she ceased her efforts to take off her gauntlets and nearly jumped past her lover into their shared room.

The door was barely closed and locked before they started ripping each other's clothes off.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

Diane had come with the others to the inn, but only to stow her bowgun and armor before heading out again. She loved shooting things with the bulky weapon, but she hated having to carry it around.

“Maybe I'll get a centaur like Mae to be my lover...” Diane snickered as she unslung her quiver and kicked it under her bed. “Get her to carry everything around for me...get her to carry ME around everywhere...”

Diane snickered again and turned to leave the room, but immediately found her exit blocked.

“Sister,” Tao said, placing herself deliberately in front of Diane's path. Her cloak was open, her deliciously revealing outfit on full display while her hands were imperiously placed on her hips. Her eyes were narrowed, and she did not look happy. Diane thought the stern expression mixed with the outfit was unbelievably erotic, and a wave of desire flush through her. She suppressed it, putting up a mask of irritation.

“Yeah, sis, what?” she asked. “I've got a night on the town, planned. Well, more like a night on the townsfolk...what's up your butt?”

Tao smiled a little at the expression, one hand trailing down her side to caress one of her round ass-cheeks exposed by her outfit. Her fingers traced over the tattoo there, the permanent, and completely redundant, reminder she was Alef's Bitch. “Only my Mistress. I bring word from her to you.” Tao's smile turned to a scowl. “She is displeased at how...unsubtle you are being. Even you should know enough to tone it down a little. At least, until the Dragon is defeated.”

“Your mistress, not mine,” Diane said, rolling her eyes. “Who cares anyway, we're going to kick that weakling Darksol's ass anyway. I want to have fun while doing it, and no one is going to stop me.”

“Your Mistress, too!” Tao insisted, eyes narrowing again. “You owe more than you know to her. That she allows you such...excessive freedom is something I cannot comprehend. But on this point you will obey. Seduce whomever in town that you want, they are of no consequence. But if you seduce someone of the Force...you MUST exercise more caution. For a time.”

“Whatever. I'm no one's slave,” Diane snorted.

Tao gave a sinister smile and stepped forward, bumping directly against Diane's front, bringing them nose to nose...and more to Diane's attention, breast to breast.

“You may think that...because our Mistress allows you to,” Tao said. “And I am our Mistress' right hand. Her First.”

“What do you think that means to m-AH!” Diane cried out as Tao grabbed her by the ass with one hand, pressing her against her chest while squeezing hard. Her other hand snaked under the straps she wore instead of a shirt and clasped her flat chest. Diane blinked and breathed rapidly, and something deep within her triggered. Her protests died in a helpless whimper as Tao whispered into one long ear.

“I want you to understand something, Diane. You are my sister, and I love you very, very much. I absolutely adore you, I truly do, more than I do the rest of our family. You have been the most important person to me for all my life. I would throw myself before a sword to save you and die in your place. And I would do it _gladly_."

She paused for a moment to gently roll Diane's nipples between her fingers, then continued with a tone of utmost, serious honesty. "But compared to my love for Alef, my love for you is _nothing_. **_Nothing_**. Do you understand?” Tao breathed, withdrawing the hand on her breast to trace under her jaw and tap her lightly on the nose. “You are my cherished sister, my greatest friend and confidant, but when compared to Alef, you are just meat to me. Losing you would tear my heart to tatters, yet if Alef told me to destroy you with my own hands, I'd do so without a moment's hesitation and without the slightest shred of guilt. Don't presume to go against her again. Do you understand?”

“Y...yes...” Diane whispered. Tao slowly smiled.

“Good...now give me a sisterly kiss and go have your fun,” Tao said. Diane's mouth latched to hers easily, and most would say that the kiss they shared was anything but sisterly.

When their tongues withdrew from each other's mouth, Diane left her room, shakily wondering where she had lost the upper hand in the conversation. For her part, Tao lounged on the bed for a moment, wondering to herself if her Mistress would allow her to taste more of the forbidden fruit she was beginning to crave.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

Pieces of armor and soft robes were scattered haphazardly around the room, mute testament to their frantic removal earlier. The sound of soft moaning and pleasured sighs came from the bed, escaping from the mouth of a silver-haired princess as her knight knelt before her, face between her spread legs. A femininely muscled arm gently held up each of those legs as the knight supported her princess. Mae was pleasuring Anri, her tongue swirling around her sopping pussy in practiced, disciplined strokes. If the constant moans weren't proof enough, the blissful expression on Anri's face was a clear indicator just how much she was enjoying the attentions of her lover. Eyes gently closed, Anri cooed and massaged her breasts with her hands, letting herself be completely limp, surrendering herself to Mae's strength and passion. The centaur knight herself had no difficulty keeping her princess' legs aloft...after becoming used to hefting a heavy steel shield and lance around for extended battles, two delicate and shapely legs were a trifle.

“Oooooh....Mae....Mae..." Anri murmured, running her hands from her breasts down to the hair of her lover and running her fingers through those long, golden locks. Mae thrilled at even this touch, but did not let herself be distracted from her task. As with all things, once she had a goal, she zeroed in on it and did not let anything divert her attention until it was completed. Tonight, her goal was to please the woman she loved.

Anri squealed in delight, thrashing on the bed as her hands went from Mae's head to the sheets. She twisted and pulled on them, a vain effort to prolong the moment and resist what was coming. Mae knew she was close to victory and slowed her efforts before stopping and looking up, catching Anri's gaze once she looked down to see what had happened. Only when the two lovers' eyes met did Mae slowly and deliberately lower her tongue back to Anri's needy core and lash it mercilessly, causing Anri to let out a shuddering cry as the pleasant feelings that had slowly been brought to a boil all this time finally came to a head and overwhelmed her. Anri screamed Mae's name and the knight gloried in the sensation of being sprayed by her love fluids as she reached an intense orgasm.

_“Mission accomplished,”_ Mae thought to herself, licking her lips and standing to her full height. Anri lay collapsed on the bed, breathing heavily as Mae let her eyes trail over her perfect form.

“Oh...Oh Mae...” Anri whispered. “That was...that was fantastic.”

“I've been training diligently, my queen,” Mae replied, smiling. “I'm merely glad my practice has paid off.”

“Oh, it has,” Anri said, draping an arm over her eyes as she caught her breath. “Every time we make love, I think it can't get any better...and then you prove me wrong.”

Mae chuckled and trotted around the prone princess and the bed she lay on.

“You know...I'm sort of glad we decided to keep the bed,” Mae said, wiping her mouth off. “It's handy for making up for the...ah, height difference, sometimes.” Mae reached down and gathered Anri in her arms, picking her up with as much effort as if she had been one of the many pillows tossed around the room. Anri instinctively put her arms around Mae's neck and pressed herself to her. Mae couldn't suppress a small smile at the feel of her body against hers as she trotted over to what was serving as the pair's real bed...a huge pile of cushions.

“Any bed's fine so long as it's got you in it,” Anri whispered into Mae's ear, causing the knight to flush briefly, before smiling wider as she lowered Anri down to the cushions, then allowed herself to collapse next to her. Mae reached out, and Anri didn't need an invitation to move closer, allowing Mae to enfold her in a powerful embrace as she gently kissed her on the lips. When the kiss broke, the princess moved her mouth to Mae's neck and gently sucked there for a moment before inhaling deeply.

“I love how you smell,” Anri whispered. “Sweat, steel, and strength...gently blended, not overpowering. It's an honest smell.”

“You smell better than I do,” Mae giggled. “All flowery and perfumed for your court.”

“Depends on the nose of the beholder,” Anri returned, pressing herself tighter against Mae, running a hand in between their bodies with a satisfied sigh. “I owe you.”

“You don't owe me anything,” Mae whispered, closing her eyes and snuggling into the cushions...and into Anri.

“I do,” Anri yawned. “I owe you an orgasm. I'll pay up...just as soon...as I can...”

With what little strength they had left from the battle depleted by love instead of war, the pair passed into dreams.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

Diane was in no hurry to return to headquarters. Max had given the day off for the entire Force to do with as they will...one last respite while the final plans were made. Runefaust was now like a feasting ground for Diane. Countless desirable women had had their men go off to war and die, leaving them lonely and cold. Diane could and would be the one to provide some warmth to more than a few of them, and the fact that she had fought on the opposing side to their lost loves added some dark flavor to the building anticipation she felt. Diane smirked as she pictured herself the conquering warrior, fighting through countless battles all to reach this town and claim its womenfolk. If the rest of the Force had any sense of fun, they'd do the same, but Diane had realized a few days ago that they were a bunch of moralistic sticks in the mud, with the exception, of course, of Alef and her sister. Diane, however, had every intention of claiming what she viewed as her right, her spoils of war earned with blood and battle, the prize at the end of the long hunt. The fact that to claim those spoils she had to undertake an entirely new hunt only added spice to the whole affair for her.

Diane smiled like a hungry wildcat as she laid eyes on a comely elf woman hanging up laundry in front of her house, a brick and stone one story structure in the style of most of the homes in Runefaust. The woman herself was full-figured in the best sense of the word, a generous bosom and curved behind being only two of the appealing shapes on her. A full head of long, honey-blond hair framing a strong but feminine face only stirred Diane's loins further aflame. Diane promptly altered course and headed for this house. The woman looked up at Diane and frowned.

“I don't think I know you...You're one of those Shining Force sol...” The woman trailed off as her gaze met Diane's, met those eyes that Alef had gifted the ability to suggest the greatest of womanly pleasures. Instantly her expression changed from apprehensive to one of vague anticipation, mixed with a confusion and longing. Diane closed the distance between them, until only a foot of space separated them.

“My name's Diane...but you could know me a lot better than that,” Diane said, reaching out a hand and running it down the side of the woman's face. She gave an involuntary shiver of pleasure and almost imperceptibly pressed her cheek against Diane's hand when the two touched. Diane smiled wider and moved her hand down the front of the lady's blouse. The elf gave a short squeak when her fingers traced over the breast hidden by layers of cloth. Diane leaned forward and whispered into the elf's ear.

“...Would you like that?”

Then she lightly licked the elf's ear before leaning back, leaving the other woman breathing rapidly, one hand on her chest, where Diane had touched her.

“I...uh...” the woman sputtered, taking a step back towards the door to her house. She fumbled for the knob and opened it. “H...here. Why don't you come inside?”

“I have a feeling I'll be doing exactly that,” Diane said, following her nameless quarry into the house. She was almost immediately greeted by the sight of a small kitchen and dining area, where another elf sat in a simple wooden chair, reading a well-worn book. Diane immediately noted the great resemblance between this elf and her quarry. This newcomer looked almost like a younger version of the other, but with delicate features and a face unblemished by the passage of time. Diane placed her age at just a few years shy of her own younger sister, Tao. Adult, but freshly so. Perfect.

“Mother? Who is this?” the younger elf asked, a bored expression on her face as she continued to peruse her book.

“Oh...” the woman paused, as if awakening momentarily from some dream, and gestured to the woman while facing Diane. “This is my daughter, Ilya. Ilya, this is Diane. She's...” The woman paused for a moment. “...An honored guest.”

“Hello,” Ilya said, looking up only for a moment from her book. It was enough for Diane to catch her gaze and smile, slyly. Ilya froze for a moment, staring into Diane's eyes, before looking her up and down, then over to her mother. The same sort of smile spread over her face. Diane walked over and put an arm around each woman, before turning towards the bedroom. Neither made a move to resist her.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

Alef and Tao collapsed against each other on the bed, having spent what spare energy they had in their favorite activity together.

“I'd like to continue, but much as I hate to admit it...” Alef sighed. “Max is right. Time for rest.”

“Mistress, you have more power than Darksol and the Dark Dragon combined. We don't need to worry about trivialities like getting enough sleep...” Tao murmured, reaching down towards Alef's groin with a hungry smile. Alef sighed and slapped her hand away.

“No, I don't, Tao. At least...” Alef allowed herself a playful smirk. “...not yet. I love your adoration of me...but don't let it cloud your judgment. Even we need to be at our best for what's about to come,” Alef said, Tao taking in the words with a sort of grim solemnity. “We'll have all the time in the world soon, I assure you.”

“If you say so, Mistress Alef,” Tao said, bowing her head and letting Alef clutch her against her body. “I only live to serve you.”

“Mmmm, I know," Alef purred, a shiver of delight running through her at Tao's declaration. She would never, ever tire of knowing her power over the lovely little elf. "After the battle, we'll indulge ourselves a bit more. Your sister might've had a good idea, even if her sense of timing was abominable,” Alef mused as her slave reached down to draw up the sheets. “Maybe we'll go hunting in Runefaust when things settle. But let's see how Diane fares, first.”

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

Diane laid back against the nameless elf who had invited her into her home and smiled as her daughter eagerly dived into her snatch. The mother herself was busy rubbing her ample bosom against Diane's neck and head, cooing with satisfaction whenever Diane turned to take one of her breasts into her mouth and suck. For the moment, though, Diane was looking down at 'Ilya' and shaking her head.

“No, no, do it like I showed you,” Diane said, reaching down and laying a hand on the woman's head, pressing her against her loins. “Energetic and irregular. Don't fall into a pattern. Now try again.” Diane suddenly grinned, looking like a cat viewing a trapped mouse. “Do it well enough, and maybe I'll give you another example...”

“Yes, Diane! Oh, yes!” Ilya cried, redoubling her efforts at the promise of more pleasure. Diane had taken both elves multiple times over the hour she had already spent here, pleasuring each until they simply couldn't handle anymore. At that point, she had declared simply that they needed to pay her back. She was currently greatly enjoying their attempts to do so. Diane let out a happy sigh as her coaching bore fruit, an electric pressure building in her body that she hoped would soon find release again. “Fuck,” she muttered. “Almost makes me wish I didn't have to leave tomorrow.”

“Leave?” the mother asked, her tone suddenly panicked. “Why? Why not stay with us? You just showed us this...this wonderful pleasure...You can't just leave now!”

“Well, I won't leave right _now_ ,” Diane grumbled. “I said tomorrow. Don't worry though...” Diane grinned again, turning her head to the older elf and favoring her with a long, deep kiss. When their lips parted a full minute later, she finished her sentence. “I'll be back for more fun later. So long as you make me a promise.”

“Mmmmm...anything, oh, anything!” the mother whispered as Diane nibbled at her neck, the pair shifting on the bed to allow Diane's hands to explore her body once more.

“You and your daughter have to swear never to even touch a man again,” Diane whispered, licking her bedmate's neck up to her ear. “...But I want you to seek out and seduce as many women as you can. Until your looks fade, I want you and your daughter to be lesbian sluts, always on the look-out for another good screw to share. You may find pleasure in each other alone when you must, but only if you cannot find another woman to join you that night. Whenever I visit you, I want to hear stories of the women you've seduced and fucked. I want to be able to hear endless tales about gasping maidens sandwiched between the two of you. I want you to be a team that brings this sort of pleasure to as many as you can. Got that?”

“But...why?” the mother asked, a little confused by the request. “Shouldn't we save ourselves for you? Be true to you?”

Diane smiled. “That is exactly how you can be true to me. Taking women, giving pleasure, turning others into horny little sluts, that is what I value, what I _am_. To be true to me is to be true to that! When I'm away, the thought of you and your daughter doing to others what I did to you tonight will keep me very, very warm. And...” The smile widened. “Maybe one day, I'll come back and take you with me. If you're good enough by then.”

“Then we swear. We swear and we'll practice every day. Every day until you come back and take us with you,” the woman said, eyes locked with Diane's, before she suddenly darted forward and clutched her face with both hands, mouth greedily seeking hers for a forceful kiss. Diane wasn't sure if it was the kiss, the vow, or the sudden increase in tempo of Ilya's tongue, but she came, and came hard, at that moment.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

Amon wandered the streets, not exactly sure what she was looking for. The fight against Ramladu had drained her immensely, and the frantic flying she did when the Castle was raised to make sure no one was knocked into the water only compounded things...Balbaroy and herself had arrived back at the city ahead of everyone else, born aloft by the wings that were their heritage and blessing. They had almost immediately stumbled back to their inn room, Balbaroy nuzzling passionately at her neck. Amon had gently pulled him off and convinced him to go to bed instead. They were both exhausted and needed rest if they wanted to survive what was to come. Amon had then given him a wink and a promise of what they could do once they didn't have to worry about survival anymore. Her husband had sighed, then laughed and agreed with her, the pair embracing one last time before slipping into bed.

Only Amon did not stay in bed. Once Balbaroy was asleep, she had found herself quietly re-clothing and slipping out, unable to find slumber herself. As she walked on taloned feet down the cobblestone streets of Runefaust, Amon wondered again what she was doing. She was tired, dreadfully so...but for some reason, sleeping next to Balbaroy just...just felt wrong, somehow. She had found herself suppressing an urge to pull away when they embraced, found his touch alien and unnerving.   It was the fatigue, she decided. It had to be. She simply did not have the energy or drive for sex when the fighting was so heavy and tiring...She didn't want to burn yet more energy thrusting back or fondling or feeling delicate hands on her breasts, a warm, wet tongue thrusting into her depths...Amon shook her head, realizing with a start that her thoughts about her husband had slowly turned into a daydream about Diane and her newfound...zest for life. Amon suppressed a growl. Everything had been fine before that tramp had gotten her stupid tattoo. Amon was happily married, committed to a bond that had survived even one turning to stone and the war they were submerged in. How could something so simple hope to challenge that? Yet the more she thought about how irritated she was with Diane, the more she found her mind drifting to her hands, her tongue, her inked and pierced body that now screamed sex...she found herself actually considering the offer she had made.

“Damn you...” Amon hissed as she turned a corner. “Damn you...DIANE?!”

Amon couldn't help but exclaim the name as she saw the focus of her lust and ire exit a humble home just in front of her, a bedraggled but extremely satisfied looking elven woman on either arm. One looked at least twenty years older than the other, but both were fairly attractive, and Amon found herself wondering what she had just caught Diane doing. Another part found herself wondered if there could be any explanation besides the obvious. Diane turned to Amon and smirked. The two women on her arms pressed themselves against her, looking towards the newcomer with jealousy. The younger one even went so far as to make eye contact with Amon and open her mouth wide, slowly licking Diane's neck as if to make things clear.

“Oh, hey Amon,” Diane said, casually sliding one hand underneath the older elf's blouse and caressing the soft, full breast there. The elf tilted her head back and let out a low, contented sigh, placing her own hand over Diane's to keep it there. “Come to join the party?”


	6. Chapter 6

Amon blinked again, to make sure she was seeing what she was actually seeing. Then her frustration bubbled up all at once.

“Diane, what in...What do you think you're doing?!” Amon shouted, balling her hands into fists. “We're in an occupied town, and you're...you're carousing around with the local women?!”

“I'm _relaxing_ with the local women,” Diane corrected, raising a finger and smiling hungrily. “Max told us all to rest. I just invited some good friends to rest with me.”

“Good friends,” Amon echoed, in the same tone she used when Vankar tried to convince her the flask he carried on duty was just water. “And just how long have you been...good friends?”

“Oh, we've been very good to her,” the younger townswoman tittered, planting a soft kiss on Diane's neck and being rewarded with a leisurely stroke down her backside. “It feels like we've been...good friends forever.”

“Just come out and say it,” Amon hissed, crossing her arms. “I'm not stupid. Unless you find all this innuendo fun, there's no point to it.”

Diane did find the innuendo very fun, actually, but decided to indulge her avian comrade's irritation. “All right,” she said, pulling the two elves closer to her for a moment and enjoying their hands on her body one more time, before releasing them and stepping towards Amon. She grinned. “I seduced them both in their own home, and fucked them for hours on their bed. Then I made them swear to screw only women, lots and lots of women, from now on, and thought I'd get something to drink. I figured letting them tag along was the least I could do after they showed me such a good time...again and again and again.”

Amon was perfectly still for a moment, her voice controlled when she spoke at last. “You're going to put the Force's reputation at risk with behavior like this...”

Diane gave a sincere, merry laugh. “You think I care?” she asked, stepping forward again until she was inches away from Amon's face. Diane's gaze bore into Amon's eyes, and once again Amon felt her heart beating faster, felt heat rising in her body. Diane smiled sweetly. “I'm proud to be a member of the Shining Force, and I'll help Max put away the dragon, absolutely. But I'm not going to repress who I am any longer. Not for him, not for anyone.”

“Who you are?” Amon whispered, fighting to suppress the mental images Diane's suggestive demeanor, clothes, body art, and earlier words were conjuring in her mind. “Who are you, Diane? You never used to act like this. Then one night you just...up and changed everything about yourself!”

“Sometimes,” Diane said, licking her lips and looking Amon up and down, “one night is all it takes.” She winked. “Ask my friends behind me.”

“And that's all you care about now, is it?” Amon shook her head. “There's something else going on with you. I can't believe you like acting like nothing more than a sex-crazed maniac now.”

“Like it? I LOVE it. It's who I am, and I'm finally letting myself free! And I think...” Diane said, gazing deeply into Amon's eyes, “I think that you'd LOVE it, too... given a chance."

Amon suddenly felt a roaring desire burn in her belly. Those gazes the other women kept giving Diane...what had they experienced to make them so devoted in so short a time? Despite their current demeanor, they looked for all the world like they had been until this day nice, normal townspeople. What delights had Diane given to them to so change them? What untold pleasure could she herself have, if she would just ask?

It...didn't have to mean anything. Lots of soldiers bent the rules while fighting in a war. She could...she could experiment a little. She could let Diane's hands run through her feathers and see what sensations those nimble, delicate fingers could wake in her. She could let Diane's tongue dance up and down her body. She could let those arms wrap around her, and it would feel so good, she just knew it...

Diane interrupted Amon's daydreaming by leaning forward and kissing the bird-woman on the beak. It was no chaste kiss, either. Amon immediately snapped back into reality, only to slump a little as her body trembled at the feeling of the other woman's insistent tongue pressing against her beak. Without even knowing she did so, Amon parted her beak, allowing Diane's tongue to begin writhing in her mouth. It was Amon's first kiss...beaks were not built for kissing one another, so members of her race used their beaks to tenderly preen one another's necks as an alternative to kissing. The pleasing, charming intimacy of that preening was a lovely experience, and Amon had never understood how other races' shoving their tongues together could possibly compare. Now, however, now she understood. As Diane's flat, broad tongue danced with Amon's own slim, articulate one, the punkish elf moving her kiss from underneath to the side and back again, using the considerable knowledge Alef had implanted within her of how to best work with and around a beak for a birdwoman's pleasure, Amon finally understood how utterly thrilling a kiss could be.

Diane's arms were immediately around her, holding her closer as Amon made no move to stop the archer's advances. When Diane pulled back, that hungry smile of hers was back and hungrier than ever. She turned towards the two elves who had been following her.

“You two run on home now,” she said. “I was going to get a drink...but I think I found something to eat instead.”

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

Amon pushed the door to the inn room open with one hand, the other holding Diane close as the pink-haired elf rained kisses on the birdwoman's neck and shoulders. Amon still didn't know why she was doing this. She was happy with her husband, had been for years. But the pleasant pressure of Diane's kisses on her nape, the way their suction lightly pulled at her feathers, spreading subtle tingling everywhere Diane's lips touched...and the kiss they had shared. It had felt so good...so *right*. Diane's nimble fingers slipped under her armor to gently pinch a feather-concealed nipple, and Amon shuddered, remembering why she was doing this after all.

“Balbaroy can't know about this,” Amon mumbled as she reached out to close the inn door.

“Sure, sure,” Diane said, clearly not paying attention as she explored Amon's body with interest, as best she could in the warrior's dressed state. “Whatever you say.”

“I'm serious,” Amon said, letting Diane guide her to the edge of the bed. “I'll...I'll indulge you...this once. But he can't ever find out.”

Diane stopped for a moment and stared with disbelief at Amon. Then she laughed. “This once...you actually believe that, don't you? Honey, when I'm done, you'll be begging for my bed. Every. Night.”

The thought of doing exactly that flitted through Amon's mind as Diane's hungry gaze met her eyes once again. The thought of obediently following Diane to her chambers each night, and begging the elf to take her. The thought of long nights of pleasure she could have, if she cast away her old self...

Amon lightly bit her tongue with her beak to snap herself out of it. These fantasies were getting out of control! If bedding the now-punkish archer of the group was the only way to get them out of her head, then it was what she had to do!

“I... doubt that,” Amon said, a lot more slowly than she cared to admit. Diane caressed her bare shoulders, then slowly laid down on the bed, taking off her boots as she looked at Amon.

“We'll see. Now, let's get this party started. Take 'em off, birdie,” Diane ordered.

Amon paused at the command, a protest on her tongue, before she looked at Diane's smoldering gaze again and swallowed the response and her pride. She gently took off the light helm she wore and put it on the inn-room's dresser, before reaching down and undoing her foot-wraps and knee-armor. Diane's eyes never left her, even as she tossed her boots to the side. The elf frowned.

“What's the hold up? Keep going,” Diane told her, hands working at her pants.

Amon's hands went to the straps of her breastplate, then stopped. “I...My breastplate...Only my husband has ever seen me without it...without something to cover me there...” Amon admitted, the weight of what she was about to do hitting her.

Diane grinned wider, sitting up and crawling forward to the edge of the bed, just a foot away from Amon. “Then I'm going to want front-row seats,” she said. “And believe me when I say that I will make it worth the effort to remove.”

Amon considered this and slowly undid the chest-piece, letting it fall to the bed and pushing it off with a hand as Diane licked her lips and reached out for her. The elf's fingertips trailed over the smooth, soft mounds now exposed to the air. Amon let out a shuddering breath as Diane touched her.

“I've got to say, these feel very nice,” Diane remarked appreciatively, reaching out with both hands to gently feel, then fondle the feathered breasts. She reveled in ruffling and smoothing the other woman's plumage as she explored this new kind of beauty. “Not too different from what we elves got, just covered in feathers, is all. Nice, soft down...bare skin is great, of course, but I gotta say, the soft, sleek feather thing is really appealing. I may just end up liking birdwomen best...”

Amon didn't respond, at least not verbally. She was trying to control her breathing, to not let slip the fact that she found Diane's hands on her breasts to feel...utterly amazing. Each stroke of a fingertip, tweak with fingers, or grasp with the whole hand sent tremors of bliss through her entire body. Every feather put out of place was a prick of arousal, and smoothing it back into place just spread that tiny pinion of heat within her. Soft, sexy, slow, subtle...the pleasure of Diane's touch was simply sublime.

Her eyes snapped open when the sensations suddenly stopped. Diane leaned back on the bed once more, waving a hand imperiously. “Now the loincloth. Off with it,” she ordered.

It wasn't exactly a loincloth, but Amon didn't care to correct her as she undid the pieces of armor around her hips and took off the cloth wrap that served to cover her privates. When the birdwoman was finally naked, Diane held up a hand.

“Stop. Let me look at you first. Never seen a birdwoman's pussy before, and I want to savor the experience,” Diane said, tilting her head and leaning from one side to the other. “Turn around.”

Amon did so, and Diane let out an exasperated sigh.

“Slower, stupid! I'm trying to look here. Yeah, like that,” she approved as Amon did as instructed. Diane grinned. “Fold your arms over your head. Good. Now draw your hands slowly over your body. Haha...yeah, good.” Diane smiled as Amon blushed and gave her a reluctant show. “Maybe next time I'll have you do a strip-tease for me. This your first time fuckin' another woman?”

“It...it is,” Amon confirmed, inwardly thinking how strange it was to hear that question, how surreal it felt to be in this position, naked before another woman. Naked before another woman who was about to make passionate love to her. She felt another thrill dance up and down her spine...at the same time, part of her mind screamed at her that she was getting involved in something that might be more trouble than when she signed on with the Force to begin with.

“Don't worry then, babe. I'll take care of everything,” Diane said, suddenly leaning up to reach out and pull Amon down on top of her, her mouth open and seeking her own. Their tongues met, and Diane turned her head to the side, then closed her mouth over Amon's beak. The doubts that had been plaguing Amon all night were suddenly washed clean from her mind. It felt so good...so natural when Diane kissed her. It was the most natural, right pleasure she had ever felt. Her hands felt like they were made to grab onto her body, her legs felt right at home pressed against Diane's...her smooth skin, so different from Amon's own feathered flesh, just felt fantastic to touch...

When Diane withdrew, Amon was left panting and on the verge of begging for more, as Diane had predicted she would.

“Now let's REALLY get goin'!” Diane said, diving towards Amon with animal passion. Her mouth once again hungrily sought Amon's beak, tongue diving inside to again curl and twist about the birdwoman's own. Whereas earlier Diane had focused simply on the seduction, she now had the leisure of paying more attention to the strange taste and texture of Amon's tongue. It was odd, but not unpleasantly so, Diane thought. Not as immediately appealing as her feathered skin, but at the same time, the thinner structure had possibility, and the different taste could grow on her. Birdwomen might be an acquired taste...and she fully intended to have fun finding out if she would acquire it or not.

Diane's hand caressed the giant wings sprouting from Amon's back for a moment, playfully tugging at the great feathers there, which caused a pleased moan to escape Amon's throat, before returning her hands to Amon's back, then sides. Diane's hands moved upward, but only grazed the near Amon's breasts. A quiet whimper escaped her partner's beak from the lack of attention.

“Oh, I'm sorry,” Diane said, her tone making it clear she wasn't. “You want my hands on your breasts?” Amon let out a relieved sigh as Diane's fingers began to work their magic on her again. Then they suddenly stopped, as Diane pressed her head against Amon's.

“Then say it.”

“I...I want your hands on my breasts,” Amon said, staring into Diane's eyes again. What was it about her stare? Every time she looked into those golden eyes, she felt like pudding, about to melt into a puddle under immense pressures of pounding pleasure. Diane placed her palms over Amon's breasts and made no further movement, looking down at the globes in her hands, before looking up again.

“So...what? You want me to grab your tits? To squeeze 'em, knead 'em? Tell me what you want me to do.” Diane grinned. “I'm just so confused! I need direction.”

“I...” Amon hesitated again, but only for a second. The more time she spent here, the less real her past seemed to be compared to this new and exciting present. “I want you to grab my tits. I want you to grab them hard, massage them, do whatever you want to them.”

Diane leaned forward and whispered to Amon. “Tell me you want me to pinch your nipples, to pull on them, bite them, suck on them.”

Amon's breath caught with desire, and she rushed her words to comply. “I want you to pinch my nipples, pull them, tweak them, bite them! I want you to suck on my breasts...ah!” Amon let out a gasp as Diane's hands began to do as she requested, squeezing, rubbing, and massaging her chest. A moment later, Diane leaned forward to tease each nipple with her tongue, only briefly before she leaned back again. Amon felt as though she were drowning in molten need.

“Tell me what else to do with my hands. You want me to make them crawl along your front? Caress your sides? Trail down your spine?” Diane asked, fingers already very busy giving a preview of these actions. Amon paused.

“I...” she mumbled. Then she suddenly sucked in a lungful of air and shouted with a brazen intensity that shocked both herself and Diane, “I want your hands inside of me!!!”

Diane's eyes widened and her grin grew, the archer trying hard not to laugh in victorious delight. She wasn't expecting to get this far so fast, given how resistant Amon had been, but it was a welcome surprise!

“All right, Amon,” Diane said, her hands ceasing their assault on Amon's breasts to travel down to her slit and explore. “If that's what you want, then that's what I'll give ya.”

“It is. It is! _I want it_!” Amon firmly said, her eyes locked on the archer's delicate fingers as they traced around her outer lips and teased her stiff clitoris. She shivered as new sensations rippled through her body, feelings familiar yet foreign as Diane's hands moved on her. She wasn't exactly a blushing maiden...but she had only ever known the touch of her husband before this. His was a strong, masculine grip that was so different than the skilled, soft, yet firm touch that was thrilling her right now. A sudden surge of pleasure broke her from her thoughts as she looked down to see Diane's right hand slowly pushing its way into her pussy, filling her more fully than she had ever been. Amon felt the archer's hand clench into a fist inside of her as she leaned forward again, placing the free hand on her breast and squeezing while she whispered more words to the avian woman.

“Say it...” Diane hissed, slowly pushing her fist deeper into Amon. Amon let out a squeal as it moved with agonizing, tantalizing slowness. “Say what you want.”

“Deeper...” Amon pleaded. “Go deeper...Please...oh Light...Please!!!”

Diane grinned and complied, slowly pushing her fist deeper and deeper into Amon.

“You like that, you slut?” Diane squeezed Amon's breast hard with her hand, before giving her other breast a light nip with her teeth. “You like my fist inside you?”

“Yessss...” Amon hissed, her own hands clenching fistfuls of bed-sheet and nearly ripping them apart. Further down the bed, the sheets were slowly being shredded as her talons clenched and clawed helplessly in her pleasure. “Yessss!!!”

“You walked up to me all high and mighty, thinking you were some paragon of virtue, but in the end, what did you turn out to be? Huh?” Diane stopped the movement of her fist and barked at Amon. “Answer me!!!”

“Sssslut,” Amon hissed again, mind only half paying attention to Diane's words when there was that glorious fist inside of her, sending storms of pleasure to ravish her. “Just another slut...Keep...Keep going...”

“That's right!” Diane shouted, a fierce joy on her face. “Just another slut! Well guess what, you're MY slut now, got that? MY slut! Tao can't have you. Alef can't have you. I got you all by myself, and if they ask really nicely, MAYBE I'll share you...but I'm going to be the one to break you. You will be broken to ME!”

“Yes...” Amon tilted her head back, eyes closed as she let out gasp after gasp. Diane was increasing the speed and force of her movements inside her. “Yes...break me!”

“You want it?!” Diane shouted. “You got it!!!”

Diane suddenly doubled the speed of her sawing motion, and Amon's eyes flew open, her mouth agape as she felt a familiar fire, a familiar tension begin to gather deep within her. Inner muscles clenched down on Diane's hand as a spray of fluid coated her arm, Amon's limbs flailing wildly as she let out an inarticulate cry that devolved into an avian screech. The enchantment embedded in Diane's brain, already having been transmitting a portion of the feelings Amon had been enjoying to Diane, suddenly kicked into overdrive, and the archer let out a happy scream as she came just as hard as Amon. Shocked by the intensity, drained by the physical effort, both women collapsed on the bed away from each other, panting. Diane was surprised to see Amon recover first.

Her mind long lost to the haze of sensation enveloping her, Amon sat up, crawled forward, and lightly pinched Diane's nipple with her beak. The archer immediately let out an uncharacteristic squeal of delight. Encouraged by this, Amon opened her beak wider and engulfed the small nub, and licked at it in slow circles, then faster and faster as her hands came up to massage Diane's small bosom. Diane caught Amon's gaze, and smirked in a lazy, cat-like manner. A low tremor of pleasure passed through Amon and she licked harder, grasped firmer. Something deep in her mind shifted, and she found herself tasting Diane's body with more and more relish. The smooth, inked skin, so unlike the feathers that covered her...the skin that tasted of sweat and desire. The feel of what were little more than half handfuls of soft flesh, her tits...she was feeling up another woman and it was driving her wild! More than that, she was feeling up an elf! She never could have dreamed it would be so enjoyable, so...fulfilling! It felt like she was sating a hunger she hadn't even known she had until now. Had she been missing out on pleasures like these all this time? How much time had she wasted in ignorance of this satisfaction?

Part of Amon immediately felt a pang of guilt as it dawned on her just what that thought meant. For a brief moment, all her excuses and rationalizations faded away in the light of the stern truth that she was cheating on her husband, whom she loved dearly, with a woman who had made it very clear that lust was all she cared about. Amon almost broke away, almost stopped mid-caress and got up for the door. Then Diane caught her with her gaze again, and the promise of endless pleasure that those half-lidded eyes held drowned Amon's better self in a sea of base desires. The thought of her adultery was twisted from guilt into a giddy thrill, only enhanced by the thought she was committing that adultery with an elf, not even another birdfolk. The rationalizations flooded back in as Diane pushed Amon's head down to her crevice.

“It's just one night...” Amon thought to herself as her tongue trailed down Diane's body to her glistening slit. Amon paused at the sight of Diane's pussy, some part of her realizing that if there was a time to stop, it was now. She didn't exactly know how or why, but all the same, something inside her knew that it would be over once she ran her tongue along those honeyed petals. A second passed, and another, and then Amon buried her face in Diane's crotch with a sudden lunge, licking and sucking on her pussy like it was a meal to a starving woman. Diane howled in pleasure and pushed Amon's head against crotch, unable to stop from twisting and thrashing as the birdwoman's short tongue rubbed against her clit, and her beak surrounded it with delicious pressure.  
  
There was no going back now, no stopping, no restraint. Only the release, brought by complete submission to desire, existed now. Amon gently bit on Diane's nub and let all her doubts and guilt be banished by the moment of passionate lust she was sharing with a woman she had hated no more than a few hours ago. Only one thought lingered for a moment longer than the rest, before it, too, vanished as though it had never been.

“...just one night...”

Diane let out a sharp gasp of joy as Amon began licking her out. This was turning into one hell of a good night, and good nights were all she wanted to have, from now until forever.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

Amon hadn't lasted very long, but the intensity of the fuck-session, coupled with the delicious knowledge that she had succeeded in seducing away Balbaroy's wife from him, had more than made up for it, Diane thought. Besides, she reasoned, Amon was only used to sex with her husband...as Diane claimed her again and again, the birdwoman would become more accustomed to the intensity and duration of sex with a woman. The prospect of being the woman to help Amon increase her endurance was a pleasing one.

Diane stretched out in the inn's bed, then laid one hand on Amon's back, past the great wings that made certain acts that night a little more difficult than anticipated. Oh well, she liked a challenge, and there were so many exotic benefits to the body of a birdwoman that this one minor obstacle was easily forgiven. Currently, Amon was sprawled on top of Diane, those wings of hers not really giving her any other options for a sleeping position once she had been exhausted enough to fall to slumber. Diane had considered slipping out and leaving while she slept, but once Amon's exhaustion had forced an end to their love making, Diane had discovered that she was fairly tired herself. She also really, really wanted to see Amon's reaction when she woke up. The malicious side of her toyed with the idea of slipping out anyway and letting her think it was all a dream, before trying to seduce her again, but that seemed like far too much work for a fuck that was, frankly, not difficult to get.

Diane grinned and ran her hand down Amon's spine to cup her ass. The birdwoman stirred in her slumber, and the grin widened.

“Amon, Amon, Amon...What am I going to do with you, I wonder? Maybe you can be the Tao to my Alef...Or maybe I'll introduce you to my sister and her lover, see how much fun we can all have together. You're mine, not theirs, but I'm a nice gal, I can share my toys now and then. Or maybe I'll just leave things be. Having you as a secret fuck buddy while you play the dutiful wife in the daytime... Mmm. The thought just gives me shivers.” Diane yawned and let her head rest more heavily on the pillow. “No rush, though...Either the world ends in two days, or we win. If we lose, well, at least I finally discovered myself before it was too late, and had some good fun before the end. But if, rather when we win, no more war. We won't have to make war...” Diane smiled as sleep began to claim her too. “We can make love all day instead.”

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

Mae's dreams were dark and foreboding, despite the very pleasant way she was put to bed the night before, so when her eyes fluttered open at the touch of Anri's hand caressing her face, she was more than a little relieved.

“I was hoping you'd sleep a little longer,” Anri confessed, leaning in to wake Mae up further with a light kiss on her lips.

“Why? I can't think of a better way to wake up,” Mae said, catching Anri's head with her hands and pulling her back for a second, fiercer kiss. The two caught their breath for a moment after it ended, before Anri smiled impishly.

“Exactly. I wanted to show you a better way to wake up,” Anri said, moving her hands to gently fondle Mae's breasts. The knight let out a low hiss of pleasure and clutched Anri's hands to her. The princess smiled. “...but since you're awake anyway...”

“I could fall asleep again if you'd like,” Mae said, suppressing a grin on her own face. “...but I think I might want to be awake for this.”

“You might,” Anri agreed, moving her hands around Mae's breasts as she talked. “Just relax and enjoy. I'm going to return the favor from last night.”

“You-”

Whatever Mae was about to say was cut off by Anri planting her lips on hers and kissing her deeply once more. The kiss muffled a sudden moan as Anri lightly pinched Mae's nipples, before withdrawing both her hands and her tongue from Mae with a wink. It was all Mae could do not to complain about the sudden lack of contact. Instead, she watched Anri trail her hands down her torso to where the human upper half melded into the horse lower half, then slowly work her way along that half to...

“Ohhh!” Mae moaned as Anri began gently stroking the area around her slit, teasing the entrance with light tracings of her fingertips around its edges. Mae twisted around a bit, trying to see, and was treated to the sight of her queen kneeling before her backside and slowly dragging her tongue over her vagina from bottom to top. Mae was already quite aroused, but adrenaline and heat began to permeate her body as her heart beat faster. The tingles of pleasure brought from Anri orally stimulating her had slowly become a pleasant familiarity over the weeks, but the sight of Anri kneeling before her equine pussy always retained an extra spark for her. She scrabbled for a pillow to squeeze as Anri let her tongue enter her depths, swirling it around before withdrawing it and letting it flick across Mae's engorged clitoris. Mae bit into the pillow to avoid letting a loud gasp free. Anri noticed and stopped momentarily to smile at her.

“Mae, don't get so worked up,” she scolded. “This is just the foreplay. The main event's a lot more...noticeable.”

Anri lowered her face to Mae's slit and tasted her extensively for a few more minutes, before she sat up and began tracing her fingers around the slit once more. Pleasure was a warm bath that Mae was soaking in. She grabbed another pillow, and another, and hugged them fiercely to her in the absence of anything else to focus her energy on.

Mae suddenly felt a surge of pleasure and bit down again into a pillow, and moaned into it as she felt something large enter her. Her powerful body trembled as climactic waves reverberated through it, and it was all she could do not to add a muffled scream to her pillow. When the first orgasm passed, Mae summoned the strength to look up and over, and saw Anri slowly pumping her slender fist in and out of her opening with a devilish grin. The warm pleasure bath became a roiling sea as Anri pumped her fist in and kept going to a little ways past the wrist. Mae screamed this time; there was no helping it. Her fluids flowed over Anri's arm, and the princess kept on going, Mae panting madly as she fought to control herself.

“Are you really trying to maintain your composure here? With me?” Anri asked, clearly amused. “Let it go, Mae. Let it go. Surrender to the moment, forget your duties and discipline, and just...enjoy me.”

“I never surrender,” Mae muttered, offering Anri a willful smile and playfully narrowed eyes. She gasped and thrashed a second later when Anri drove her arm in deeper.

“I think you will,” Anri giggled. “And I think you'll like it.” Anri then lowered her face and began to tongue-lash Mae's clitoris, even as her fist entered her fully once more.

It was the most mind-numbingly pleasurable hour later when Anri was finally proven right on both counts.  

When they finally arose, it was to indulge in a hot bath, before dressing for breakfast, which was more like lunch at that point. They then left the inn to spend most of the day just walking around the city. The important thing to Mae and Anri though, was the unspoken fact that they were spending the day together, the day that might be the last peaceful day of their lives, with the final battle looming on the horizon. Vankar would be at his cups. Hanzou would be meditating. Max would be planning. Lowe would be eating everything he could stomach. Alef and Tao would be...well, doing what they were always doing. Anri and Mae however, would be content simply walking around the city their Force had conquered, walking and talking about a future that they prayed would still be there when tomorrow's battle had ended.


	7. Chapter 7

They had failed. Darksol had managed to release the Dark Dragon from its bizarre seal, the grotesque mound of flesh returning to life even as the mad mage had died to make it happen. What followed was a battle of such intensity that it almost made Mae wish never to see combat again. Skeletons wielding Ancient weaponry came in seemingly infinite numbers while the three-headed monster known as Dark Dragon had brought terrible magics and its own blasphemous strength against the members of the Shining Force, at least those that could still fight after the already taxing battle to end Darksol. Gort and Luke had nearly been killed by a cloud of shrieking souls belched forth from the Dragon's central head. Unnatural lightning had caused Adam to falter in his cybernetic tracks. Amon and Balbaroy had been reduced to diving down and dragging critically wounded warriors to safety lest someone bleed to death or be caught in a blast they couldn't weather anymore.

Then there had been the gravest blow. Miraculously it had been the only loss the Shining Force suffered in the conflict, but it was loss enough to make the entire army of light tremble when the battle had ended. Max had climbed atop the Dark Dragon and plunged the Chaos Breaker into its neck, resealing the monster and bringing peace to Rune once more.

Peace, at the cost of his own life.

Mae had shouted herself hoarse at the cliffside to which the swordsman had teleported the Shining Force, getting them to safety at his own expense. She had screamed and screamed, helpless to do anything else as the Castle of the Ancients had shaken and rumbled its way down to the abyss of the ocean once more. As the mighty structure sank below the waves, she felt like she was back in Guardiana castle as her father was run through, helpless to do anything but watch as another person she cared about was taken from her. Anri felt similarly, and the fact that she could do little but lean on Mae, one of the few people she cared about who was left to her, was sign enough.

The Shining Force had won a great victory, but nobody felt like celebrating. Even Tao and Diane were unusually quiet, though that was, unknown to the rest of the Force, much more due to Alef warning them sharply to cool it for a while. When they had regrouped at headquarters, Mae had stepped up to take command of the Force for what little was left to do. With most of their foes dead or surrendered, reconstruction would soon be the order of the day, and it was a job Mae threw herself into gladly to forget the pain of loss once more. Nova, Mae, and Anri had all agreed. They would linger one month in Runefaust to make sure nothing was amiss, to make sure the kingdom wouldn't fall apart after they left or rebuild its armies and start the war over again. A single month would normally not be near the amount of time required for such a task, but most of the Runefaust army and government was just as glad to be rid of Darksol as Mae was...and even gladder that the war was finally over. No one wanted anything but to just go back to their peaceful lives before all this had happened.

Well, almost no one.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

Diane lied back in the bed, Amon resting gently against her. The feathered breasts of the skywarrior were gently pressing against the archer's, and Diane lost herself in both the feel of the soft mounds and the pleasant post-coital haze.

“We've got to stop doing this,” the birdwoman whispered to herself. Still, Diane's elf ears twitched and caught the words easily. She grinned. A month after the supposed 'one night' Amon said she needed to get Diane out of her system, the avian woman had spent almost every evening sneaking out from the room she and her husband shared, and into Diane's own room, where the elven archer spent hours ravishing her in every way she could imagine. It was after a particularly long and hard fucking that Amon had just spoken, and Diane was a little surprised at the timing, though not too much. She had been wondering how long it would take before Amon started to realize that each night with her just made the bird-woman want her more. She had wondered how long it would take before Amon realized that her husband was beginning to suspect something was up, his normally unshakeable faith in his wife tested just a little too far by the constant late nights out, not to mention the lack of physical affection she gave him. Unless Balbaroy was having his own affair, Diane guessed that he hadn't had sex for the whole month, since she herself was having sex with his wife long into every night. Diane shifted a little in the bed, running a finger down Amon's spine.

“Oh, now, I don't think that's what you _really_ want,” she replied knowingly, turning to look into Amon's eyes. “I think what you _really_ want is to just abandon him all together to be mine.”

“That's...” Amon began to say. She was going to follow it up with 'ridiculous,' but the magic behind Diane's gaze went to work, as it always did, filling her mind with visions of forbidden pleasures that would open to her if she let the archer have her way. Truthfully, however, it wasn't needed; by this point, Amon wouldn't have been able to honestly deny Diane's assertion anyway. She shook her head. “...wrong. I still love Balbaroy, I just...There's something about you...”

Amon trailed off again, unable or unwilling to put the feelings that gaze awoke in her to words. Some part of her became dimly aware that she was not only trying and failing to convince Diane, she was also trying and failing to convince herself. She had loved Balbaroy faithfully for years... but did she anymore? She didn't dislike him, she knew that much; as a fellow soldier, she still had nothing but respect and admiration for him. But every time she thought of submitting to his touch or being taken in his strong arms, something twitched inside her, and she felt repulsed. Muscular arms became feminine ones, sleek and smooth, skin replacing feathers as the mental image of Balbaroy in her mind became overwritten with one of Diane. The feeling of repulsion then vanished, to be replaced by raw desire.

Diane smiled lazily. “I know there's somethin' about me. That's why you're my bitch. My little birdy bitch. Deep know, you know only I can give you what you crave now,” Diane told her, stating a simple fact. Her hand snaked its way down Amon's spine to the curve of her ass and squeezed it. “If you weren't covered in feathers, I'd have to get some ink on you. Maybe a change of wardrobe instead...”

“No!” Amon squeaked as Diane's other hand went to her breast. “That would...that would be too much. Please, forget I said anything.”

“So you don't want to stop, then?” Diane asked, the hand on Amon's breast drifting towards her crotch. “You want to keep on being my little birdy bitch?”

“...yesssss,” Amon hissed, telling Diane what she already knew as the punk elf's finger slid into her pussy.

“You know, this sneaking around stuff is still fun, but not as fun as it was. Eventually I'm going to get tired of it, and claim you openly as my bird-bitch. Not a threat. Fact. And that day's not long off. It'll be better for you to accept that and be ready for it,” Diane warned. She smiled. “But not today. Today, I'll indulge you. If you indulge me.”

“...Again?” Amon asked, tired but excited at the prospect of more, as Diane shifted again on the bed, parting the avian warrior's legs and lowering her head between them. Diane smiled her lazy, cat-like smile.

“All this talk has made me hungry. And you should know, I always sate my appetite.”

Amon said no more words for a long time, gasps of pleasure filling the air as tongue slid along slit. Amon had come twice before Diane finally tired of it, arching her head back with a satisfied smile.

“We're not done yet either, bird-bitch. I've got a special su- Ah. That's them.” Diane grinned as the sound of knocking came at the door. The shameless elf stood, putting her tattooed body on full display for Amon as she walked over to the room's door and opened it. Amon recognized the faces on the other side of the doorway as the elves that she had seen with Diane a month before, Ilya and her mother. Both wore simple robes that opened in the front and ran from shoulder to feet, covering everything.

“We came as you asked, Mistress,” Ilya said, entering. Diane's smile grew broader.

“So you did. Close the door behind you. How's the good work progressing since last I checked up on you?” Diane asked. Ilya and her mother looked to one another with an excited smile at having good news to share with their beloved punk mistress.

“We've managed to lure twelve women into our bed since then!” Ilya's mother said with intense pride, and drew her arm around her daughter to give her a quick hug from the side.

Diane clicked her tongue.

“Hm. I guess it's not bad for rookies...but you'll have to do better in the future,” Diane told them. “That's only a woman every two nights. I've taken at least two a day, every day. Three if you count the bird-bitch here.”

“We're...we've been honing our skills, learning where to seek women, and...and getting used to this, Mistress! It has been difficult to rearrange our lives for our new life's work. But, but we're getting better, we swear!” Ilya said, eyes widening at Diane's displeasure. Her mother's lip trembled. The adult woman looked ready to break down into tears at failing to please her mistress.

Diane shook her head. “Well, it doesn't matter tonight. Amon?” Diane turned her head to face the bird-woman. “Which one do you want?”

“Excuse me?” Amon asked. Diane was wild, but she couldn't be asking her to...

“Ah hell, take'em both,” Diane said, waving a hand. “I'll supervise. I want you to fuck these two women. Girls, I want to see your progress. If I'm satisfied that your skills and enthusiasm are at the right place, that will be enough to make up for not taking as many women as I hoped you would. Show Amon what you've got!”

“Diane, this is going a bit far-” Amon's protests were halted when both women undid their robes and let them fall to the floor, revealing that they had not bothered to dress in anything underneath. The women smiled and advanced towards her. Diane snickered.

“Have fun, Amon!” Diane called, leaning back on the pillows and slipping a hand inside herself as she watched Ilya and her mother gently push a protesting Amon down to the bed.

The two looked at each other a moment, and a slow, sultry smile spread over their faces. They leaned in to kiss each other, then each took one of Amon's legs and straddled it, their backs to the birdwoman as they caressed her legs with their breasts, licking and sucking on the sharp talons that acted as her feet. While they did so, their own feet reached back and pressed at Amon's well-loved opening with surprising dexterity. The bird-woman squawked with sudden pleasure as she felt pleasant pressure on her nether lips, felt her clit being brushed against.

Then Diane crept forward. “Changed my mind,” she said. “I think I will join in after all.” The archer covered Amon's beak with her mouth for a moment before smothering her face with her breasts. Amon only lasted a little longer before reaching her first climax, but Diane and the girls kept at it for much longer. It was good practice, after all.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

“Morale is... slowly recovering,” Mae said, looking over the table to Anri and Nova. The three were holed up in their new headquarters, what had once been Runefaust Castle. Papers surrounded them, scattered over the huge map-table or in stacks against the walls. It had been a month since the victory of the Shining Force, but there seemed no shortage of work to do even outside of combat. They were trying to not only rebuild a city after all, but a kingdom! Two kingdoms in fact, as Anri used her magic to direct the reconstruction of Guardiana as well, while what remained of the Shining Force completed the pacification of their once sworn enemy.

“That's to be expected,” Anri sighed, looking over the papers. “Max was...dear to almost all of us. It's unfortunate about Adam, too...the fact that he still has not been sighted since that battle a month ago suggests the worst. Not to mention the sort of...shock, I suppose, of actually winning this war. How long did we fight, Mae? How long did we think this war would go on forever?”

“All wars end...thank the gods,” Nova put in. “But it will take time for everyone to fully grasp that. In a way, we can be grateful for all this reconstruction. It gives us all something to put our minds to while we slowly come out of the...well, I'd call it 'war-haze.'”

Mae stamped a hoof absentmindedly. “Be that as it may, I'm getting concerned. Some of us...Some of us aren't recovering as fast as others.”

“You're talking about Khris,”Anri said. It was not a question. The kyantol healer had been devastated in the wake of the final battle, and it had taken days for her to even talk to anyone.

“I am...” Mae bit her lip. “Ah... Nova, can you excuse us for a while? I think the conversation is about to turn to matters of a personal nature regarding Khris.”

“Certainly. We've finished going through the main agenda, anyway,” Nova said, gathering up an armload of the papers. “I'll send these work orders out at once, Your Majesty, and will see you on the morrow. Farewell.”

“Farewell,” Anri said, waiting for the elderly dragon-man to leave before turning back to Mae. “What was so personal that it couldn't be said in front of Nova?”

“About Khris,” Mae said, swallowing, “I...uh...think she was in love with Max.”

“What?” Anri's eyes widened. “You don't think...”

“She was the lover Alef mentioned? Maybe, maybe not. But I do know that I recognize that look she gets in her eyes when she talks about it. Whether or not she ever declared it, whether or not she ever had it returned...I do think she loved him.” Mae shook her head. “Imagine...imagine what it would be like if you lost me in that castle, or...if I lost you. That's what she's going through right now. That's why she's being so slow to come out of mourning.”

“I don't want to imagine those things,” Anri said, shuddering at the thought. “Perhaps I should speak with her? I hate to say it, but you and I might be the best ones to talk with her about it. Balbaroy and Amon's relationship has been...rocky, recently, Alef's advice might be...a little wild, for someone who was closely involved with the church, and no one else knows what it's like to find love in the middle of war, as far as I'm aware.”

“I think that would be a good idea, Your High--Anri,” Mae amended, remembering that they were alone now. “You're better at words than I am, so you're the one that should speak.”

“Then that is what I will do,” Anri said, lightly touching her crown. “Go tell her that I want to speak with her. I'll wait in the library. It's nice and quiet there.”

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

The library of Runefaust Castle was indeed quiet. Most of the mages that had once pored over its tomes were long slain in the fighting brought on by the mad king Ramladu, leaving only a handful of scholars that had no talent for war within. Of those scholars, most were currently employed elsewhere, putting their hoarded knowledge to work for their kingdom as they advised and guided repairs to buildings, fields, or even people. When Khris finally entered the hall of books, the only other two people there were Anri, quietly waiting in a chair by the window, and Alef, who was looking over spell-tomes far in the back, well out of earshot. Or at least, so Anri thought. The queen had made a rather obvious error in her haste to render aid to Khris, that being that Alef's hearing was nearly on par with that of an elf's. The fox-woman began listening intently the moment Khris approached the queen, though she did not look up from the book on dark magic spells which she held.

“You wanted to see me, Anri?” Khris asked. Anri looked up and nodded, gesturing to a seat facing her. The kyantol healer looked tired; there were dark circles under her eyes, which even now were red and blearly. She sat without complaint, though.

“Khris...” Anri paused, considering how to begin. “I wanted to talk with you about how you've been doing lately. Everyone's worried about you. You've hardly been sleeping, you've hardly been eating, you've hardly even been talking! We all...” Anri trailed off and shook her head. “Let me get straight to the point. I wanted to talk with you about Max.”

The reaction was immediate. The healer stiffened like sheet iron, her eyes immediately dropping from Anri's to look at the floor. The queen attempted to press on.

“Khris, there's no need to say anything. I know you cared for him, cared deeply. I want you just to listen for a while, all right?”

Khris said nothing, but nodded slightly after a few seconds had passed. Anri sighed with relief.   “Max was a wonderful man, and everyone feels his loss. But he chose to make his sacrifice so that we could live on. His last words were, 'You won't die with me,' remember?”

“I remember,” Khris replied, her voice quaking. “I can't ever forget. That's why I'm like this.” Khris stifled a sob and Anri's face twisted in sympathy for the young woman. “Every time I try to sleep, I see him plunging that sword into the dragon. Every time I try to eat, I remember his smile. Every time...I try to forget, all the time we spent traveling with him just comes tumbling back!” Khris was crying openly now, tears streaming from her face. “I never even got to tell him how I felt! I never even had a chance to see...to see if maybe he could feel the way I feel about him! I want to hate him for that, I want to hate him for abandoning us, but he did it so we all could live! I can't even get angry! It's just...all that's left is loss!”

Anri stepped forward and offered her arms. Khris accepted them gratefully, hugging her war-comrade tightly, burying her face against her shoulder as she sobbed. For a long time, Anri just let her cry. Then she spoke.

“Khris, it's all right to grieve. We've all done our share of it in this war. But you can't let it overwhelm you like this. Max gave his life for you, so don't you think you should try to live it?”

“Have you ever been in love?” Khris returned, a note of bitterness in her voice. “When you lose it...it's like you lose your heart itself.”

“I have been,” Anri said, face solemn. “I've been blessed not to lose my lover in all this fighting, but I have lost my father. I know a little of love...I know a lot of loss. I know eventually things get better if you let them. I know...” Anri paused. “I know that maybe if I lost my love the way you lost yours, she would want me to go on. The same way I'm sure Max wants you to.”

Khris sniffed and wiped her eyes. “You really think so?” Anri smiled.

“Of course.”

Khris seemed to cheer up a little before a thought struck her. “...She?” Anri bit her lip.

“...Yes,” Anri said. “I'm...ah...in love with a woman.”

Khris' eyes widened. “A woman? But then...Wait, "in the fighting," you said, so...” Khris paused. “It's another Force member?”

Anri nodded. “If you swear not to say anything, I'll tell you. Things aren't quite right yet where the Queen of Guardiana can admit she has taken a lover openly, particularly not a lover such as I have.” Khris nodded, and Anri continued. “It's...Mae.”

“You... and Mae?” Khris gasped.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

Unseen by the pair, Alef suppressed a chuckle. Thank the Dark that the heart to heart was over; things might get interesting now as the queen shared her secret with the pure-hearted priestess. Of course...of course, she could always give things a nudge, and see how they played out...Alef quietly reached for the Demon Rod beside her and summoned just a bit of its power, barely anything, just enough for the slightest of pushes...

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

“Yes, me and Mae,” Anri whispered with the soft smile that was often on her lips when speaking of her knight. “We've been together for months now. Not a very conventional pairing, I know, but I love her with all my heart, and she loves me.”

“I'm happy for you,” Khris said, with a distant look. She began thinking of how lucky Mae and Anri were to have found each other in all this tragedy, and somewhere, something shifted inside her. Khris blinked as she began to consider how lucky Mae was to have Anri. She had never before realized how beautiful the queen was, how full her breasts were, how long and luxurious her hair was. Khris had known Anri was attractive, of course, but in that moment she began to understand _why_ she was attractive...a slow heat began to grow within her as she considered what Anri might look like locked in the throes of passion, naked limbs grasping for purchase over sweat-drenched sheets. How would she sound, moaning Khris's name in pleasure? How...

“Khris? Are you all right?” Anri asked. Khris nodded immediately, snapping out of the strange stream of thoughts.

“I'm sorry Anri, my...my mind wandered,” Khris said, attempting to banish the strange new thoughts, and failing. She had long had fantasies about Max ravishing her, or making slow, sweet love to her, and now she began to consider what it would be like if, instead of the dashing swordsman, her partner was another woman instead? Khris inwardly slapped herself. Was her love so shallow she would discard it on the whim of a thought?

“Here,” Anri said, moving to embrace Khris again. “I think you need another hug.”

“Yes,” Khris agreed, voice a sharp staccato. Khris wrapped her arms around Anri again, and instead of crying this time, she breathed deeply and nestled her head in Anri's shoulder. The smell of her hair was enchanting. She could feel the queen's larger breasts press lightly against her own. She imagined how this embrace would feel when both of them were naked, tumbling on a bed. How would her mouth taste when she kissed her...the slow heat grew warmer and warmer, and Khris's hands started clutching Anri closer to her, pressing their bodies together. The queen frowned as the embrace began to grow into something more than just comforting. Quickly she pulled out of it, eyes wide.

“Khris?” she asked, looking over the healer. She was breathing fast, eyes unfocused. “What are you doing?”

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

Alef smiled, pleased that her instincts had been right. Khris's mind and soul had been so ready to take this path that a bare nudge was all that had been needed. Now, however, to capitalize on this new direction, speed things up...Alef touched the Demon Rod again as she murmured to herself, “I think my good deed for the day will be getting Khris over Max. And if it so happens to make my own seduction of her easier in the future, well...”

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

“I'm sorry!” Khris squeaked. “It's just...I started thinking of how lucky Mae is to have someone like you, and how lonely I was...I just...It's so cold by myself!” Khris stepped forward and put a hand on Anri's cheek. “You're so beautiful...It never really hit me before how beautiful you were. I usually can't stop thinking about Max, but when I think about you...then I do.” Khris gently nestled herself against Anri again, the queen too stunned to do much. “Please...I know it's crazy...but just for tonight, at least, let me stay with you. Let me feel what it is to be loved.”

In Anri's mind, two thoughts circled. The first was, remembering from their experience with Alef and Tao, that Mae had a thing for watching her fuck other women. The second was that a good lay might be exactly what Khris needed to get back to normal. She couldn't know that the second thought was thanks mostly (though far from entirely) to the influence of Alef, who pretended to still be absorbed in her books. When Khris leaned up to kiss her again, Anri met her lips fully and held her gently, her mind made up.

“All right, but not alone,” Anri replied. Khris looked at her, confused. She smiled. “Meet me in my chambers in ten minutes.”

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

As Khris and Anri left rather hurriedly, Alef yawned lazily and closed the book in her hands. Though she had pretended to be too absorbed by it to take notice of Anri and Khris's discussion, it was no pretense that she had read it from cover to cover during the time of their conversation. With each passing day, her mind had been sharpening beyond what any mortal was capable of, and she had by now read nearly every tome of arcane power within this library. Her mind and body were practically overflowing with the knowledge and power of magics beyond any she could have conceived of before the war.

Alef looked thoughtfully at the Demon Rod. This would probably be the last good thing she would do for a while. It might even be the last good act she would ever do again. Almost certainly it would be the only good thing her Rod would ever do. It was interesting to think about, this turning point, but it did not bother her. She allowed herself a satisfied grin at the thought of Anri initiating Khris into the growing number of lesbians in the Force, then grabbed her Rod and went off to find Tao.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

“Welcome to the queen's private chambers, Khris,” Mae greeted her, as she opened the door for the kyantol maid. Mae just wore the loose shirt she preferred to wear in private, and Khris moved her head slightly to see that Anri was waiting on what looked like a giant cushion in the middle of the room. She was wearing a simple silk robe that looked much different than the regal robes she wore while officiating matters of state, or the functional mage robes she wore in battle. This robe looked like it was made with only comfort and ease of donning or undonning in mind. Mae noticed the look and followed Khris' gaze.

“We replaced the bed a while ago,” Mae explained, looking at the cushion. “It could barely accommodate a centaur's weight, and it certainly could not handle...well, a centaur's strength, let's say. This is the sort of bed that well-to-do centaurs use, and Anri seems to have no complaints, so I suppose it functions well enough for bipeds.”

“Mae, dear, I don't think a lesson in logistics is what Khris asked of us,” Anri called from the cushion bed, lounging back with a grin of anticipation on her face. “I think she wanted us for something else.”

Khris gulped and entered the room, allowing Mae to close the door behind her. Now that a few minutes had passed since she had the strange spell of physical desire cast upon her, her timid nature was beginning to reassert itself. She was entering the queen's bedchamber, and about to have sex with the queen herself, who was not only another woman, but a human to boot! And the queen's bodyguard was going to join them! Khris slowly began to step towards the bed, walking as if in a dream, while Mae locked the door and trotted over next to the bed, crossing her arms and smiling.

“She'd never admit it to anyone but me, but Mae likes to watch,” Anri explained, gesturing to Khris, who was still making her way to the bed. “Come along, now. We're going to give her a show before she deigns to join us.”

“But...I...” Khris hesitated as she reached the cushion's edge. Anri made a motion, and Mae moved behind Khris, gently helping the healer peel off her clothes.

When the last of her garments had been discarded, both Mae and Anri took a moment to appraise their joint conquest. Khris had a petite figure, small breasts, remarkably thin limbs, but she was pleasantly shaped, and had no disfigurements. Anri thought her pretty, and Mae thought her cute, and both thought her attractive in a new and pleasing way.

Anri smiled again, and opened her robe, shrugging the garment off. Khris gasped, little more than a squeak from her mouth as she let her eyes roam the body of the queen of Guardiana. Khris knew she was at least pretty, but Anri was gorgeous! Large, full breasts. A shapely, curved ass, slender, delicate limbs...Khris licked her lips again as every second she spent looking the royal woman caused her mind to run wild. Alef's seed of desire fully took root in Khris' mind, growing and growing as Khris slowly climbed onto the cushion, towards Anri.

“Well, Khris?” Anri asked, coyly, running her hand down her body. “I'll let you be the queen for a little bit. What do YOU want to do? What do you want to do to ME?”

“I want to lick you all over,” Khris said, almost in a daze as she reached for Anri and lightly ran her hands over her naked body, almost unwilling to believe a queen was letting her touch her in such a way. She looked at Anri's breasts, fixated. She suddenly wanted to grab those smooth globes and fit them to her mouth, more than anything else. “I want...I want to suck on your breasts...I want to feel you all over. I want to taste your p...pussy.” Khris' eyes nearly glazed over. “And...and I want it right now!”

Anri threw back her head and uttered a throaty moan as Khris nearly pounced on top of her, her elongated mouth closing on one breast and sucking it gently as the other hand fondled and squeezed the other. “Yessss...” Anri moaned as Khris sucked a little harder, pinching and tweaking her other nipple while letting her tongue flick over the first. Images and acts were flowing nonstop into Khris' brain. She didn't know where they were coming from, but she suddenly wanted to try all of them with Anri. She had never considered how to please a woman before, but now a river of information was flowing through her mind, and she did not care what the source was so long as the flow did not stop. Anri, for her part, was amazed at the apparent instinctual skill Khris was showing in pleasing her. She needed almost no guidance whatsoever, her mouth steadily working on one breast only to switch to the other at just the right moment while her hand crept downward and slowly entered her most intimate area.

Mae smiled as she watched her lover allow another to explore her body. She felt tingles of desire all over, and she pressed her rear against a nearby wall to provide some measure of release while she waited. She had her shirt off just a few seconds into the lovemaking, and her hands were busy at her breasts even as she watched Khris break her innocence on Anri's. The long kyantol mouth sucking and sucking, then rolling out a light ribbon of pink to lick and tease...Mmmm. If Mae didn't know any better, she'd think Khris had done this before. She was apparently a natural at woman on woman love. Mae pressed her vagina against the cold stone of the wall again, and a short grunt escaped her lips. She was going to look forward to her turn, to feeling that tongue replace cold stone, those delicate hands grabbing her toned, muscular body instead of the soft, completely feminine one of her partner. For now, though, she only watched and smiled as the fire of her lust was steadily stoked.

Anri was louder this time when she let out a long groan, Khris' mouth on her neck as one hand plunged into her vagina, the other grasping her flawless ass with abandon. “Khrissss!” she shouted. “KHRISSSS!”

“Someone will hear!” Mae hissed, the spell of desire on her temporarily beaten back by her ever present good sense. “Please, Your Majesty...”

“Don't care...don't care!” Anri moaned. “Mae...Oh, Mae, it's soooo gooood...”

Khris was apparently oblivious to the flattery, so focused was she on Anri's body. Her fingers drew out from Anri's depths as she lowered her head to her entrance and lightly began licking. Mae's eyes flared as a sudden idea came to her.

“Khris, move around so that your pussy is above Anri's face while you do that...yes...” Mae smiled. “Anri, if you can't keep quiet...we'll just have to find some other use for your mouth.”

Anri didn't respond, her mouth already latched onto Khris's soaked nether lips, kissing them passionately as her hands grasped Khris's small ass firmly, pushing her lips harder, her tongue deeper into the kyantol's depths. Both women shifted, writhed, sighed, and groaned under each other's oral touch, their bodies sliding against one another in the throes of passion. While Khris reveled in the smooth, soft skin of the queen, Anri found herself luxuriating in the feel of equally soft, short fur brushing against her body. It was similar to Mae's coat, but at the same time wholly different, and she loved it!

Mae bit her lip as she brushed herself harder and harder against the wall, wishing with all her soul she'd thought to have set up a toy to pleasure herself with while she watched. It was agony to wait and watch, but it was delicious, blissful agony. Still, Mae was glad she didn't have to wait much longer.

Anri came first, followed soon after by Khris, who let out a loud shriek of joy as she had the greatest orgasm she had ever known, the first caused by another woman's touch. Anri looked over, half-lost in the afterglow of sex, and motioned to Mae.

“Come over here, Mae...” the queen said, smiling. She made a motion, and her staff floated to her hand from its waiting place across the room. “I've got something to reward your patience with.”

Mae's heart raced as she trotted forward and took position near her lover, Anri immediately bringing the smooth sapphire-topped staff end to Mae's waiting entrance and pushing. Mae almost screamed then and there, but she kept silent except for a soft, uncharacteristic squeak as Anri began to move the staff in and out of her.

Not one to be left out of the fun, Khris recovered quickly and began exploring Anri once more, kissing and caressing her almost wildly. Anri paused a moment to return a particularly passionate kiss aimed for her mouth, then guided the kyantol healer to a new position. Khris pressed her needy pussy against Anri's and begin to grind against her, scissoring her hard as both women let their mouths join and hands explore. Anri let go of her staff in order to better fondle and massage Khris's smaller chest with both hands. Mae was about to complain, when the staff started pumping into her of its own accord. Anri took a moment to look back and wink, Mae remembering all too well the skill the mage had in wielding the staff telekinetically in combat.

When all three partners were finally exhausted, they collapsed into one another's arms on the great pile of cushions. Khris was cuddled up to Anri, who held her close, while Mae draped a hand over Anri herself, all three breathing softly as sleep claimed them. Khris had no more nightmares that night, only a deep, pleasant sleep.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

It was only a week later when the last treaty was signed, the last stone laid, and the final minister instated in the new government of the nation formerly known as Runefaust, a nation now known as Protectoria. Many of the new nation's leaders were members of Runefaust's former government who had quietly opposed the war, and a few were former government officials who had openly protested the war and somehow managed to avoid execution for doing so. Most of Protectoria's ruling body, though, had been taken from the more educated or influential of Runefaust's citizens who had shown an interest and aptitude in remaking the nation into one they could once again love.

Queen Anri was very pleased that a majority of these new leaders were women. Runefaust had been a strongly male-dominated country and government, and she saw this as a promising step away from its dark history and toward a new society and a new mindset. She did not see how many of these new female rulers gazed adoringly at Diane during the governmental commencement ceremony.

A ship was chartered to return the members of the Shining Force to where they had originally come, and tearful goodbyes were had between friends and comrade. Of course Anri herself was going back to Guardiana, as were Mae, Ken, Lowe, Luke, Hans, Gort, Gong, and Tao. It was no surprise that Alef, though not from Guardiana, would be returning with them, given her relationship with Tao. What was a surprise was that Diane would also be joining them...as well as Khris. Balbaroy had stated with full conviction that he and his wife would go to Bustoke, but Amon had looked away when he said that...and Anri had a suspicion that her decision wasn't final yet.

Hanzou had disappeared without a word, leaving only a note behind that said, “Until I am needed again.” Adam was still missing. Torasu had cheerfully hugged everyone one last time, and returned to Prompt by himself, surprised his fellow Promptian Alef had opted to travel abroad instead of returning. Arthur, Vankar, and Pelle were intending to take the boat as far as Uranbatol, and find work as mercenaries there.

“They'll need help guarding the Pao Caravan in the wake of all the fighting!” Pelle said, cheerfully. “We'll call ourselves the Three Lancers!” Earnest had immediately observed that it was a stupid name, and Anri left them to their argument.

It was a melancholy moment to see everyone slowly returning home or traveling on without the people who had been their companions for so long. There was no time to dwell on the past, however. The future beckoned, and as Mae trotted up to Anri's side and put an arm around her waist, that future looked like something to look forward to. The ship was almost ready. The next day they would start the long journey home.


	8. Chapter 8

 

The sea was a lot more calming without the threat of monsters attacking, or war looming overhead. Of course, monsters could still attack, but without the direction of mages under Runefaust's employ, or the allies of Darksol to summon them, the chance was a lot lower.

Anri looked over the rolling waves and let her mind drift. The war was really over. She could let her guard down. No, that wasn't true. She was ruler of a country now; she could _never_ let her guard down. The realization of that made her shudder inwardly. She would always have to be wary... especially given her recent sexual escapades. Would her love for Mae last? If it did, how were they going to make it work? Secret affairs were all well and good for the time being, but someday...someday it would have to come to light. How would that be done? How would the people react? How would the issue of succession be handled, how... 

Anri shook her head to clear her mind of the loud thoughts. She sighed. The thought crossed her mind that if she were a different sort of ruler, none of this worrying would matter. If she were a powerful ruler, it would not matter what she did, or who. If she had the sort of power Darksol had, and was unafraid to use it...she could openly take Mae as her queen...take a hundred concubines if she wanted, make Khris a royal consort, whatever she felt like. Whatever the people thought would not matter, only her own desire.

Anri bit her lip hard to stop that train of thought. A momentary chill spread through her soul as she flexed and unflexed her hands. Shame flooded the princess-turned-queen's brain as she tried and failed to figure out where that line of thought had come from.

“Thoughts like that are what made monsters like Ramladu,” she murmured out loud to remind herself. “True rulers... _good_ rulers don't put their own wants over the good of the people.”

“ _But where's the fun in being good all the time_?” a voice seemed to whisper in her mind for a moment. Anri was left to deal with the temptation dangled in front of her mind as Alef quietly tiptoed away from her hiding place behind one of the ship's masts nearby.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

The ship was just as cramped as Diane remembered, which, for once, worked in her favor. It was child's play to find excuses to bump into the various females of the Force, or 'accidentally' touch a sensitive area while squeezing past them in one of the ship's lower deck halls. Of course, the close quarters also meant that her activities had a far higher chance of detection, which made it a good thing she no longer gave a damn. In truth, the idea that the other women of the Force might hear her moans as she held Amon's flicking tongue to her clit, or Alef's pants and shrieks as she joined her sister for a threesome, just made her hornier.

Amon was less enthusiastic about the idea of continuing their affair at sea, with the chance of her husband discovering her dramatically increasing. Diane scowled at remembering their conversation on the matter. It had ended with Amon giving in, naturally. She was Diane's. But it had taken quite a lot of convincing, even with her very effective and pleasurable methods of doing so. Why Amon was still so loyal to that feather-brain was beyond the tattooed elf.

The scowl passed into a smile as she reached her cabin and opened the door to see, in the dim light beyond, a winged figure stir in her bed. She supposed that in the end it didn't even matter. Reluctance, acceptance, the result was the same.

Diane entered her room and closed the door behind her, letting her elven eyes adjust to the low light. It only took a few moments for them to be able to clearly see Amon in her bed, quite naked, clutching a sheet over her body. Her clothes were stacked neatly in a corner, possibly with the intention of being able to get dressed very quickly should the need arise. This somewhat irked Diane. She far preferred the look of those clothes scattered around the cabin's interior, having been wildly torn off in a fit of passion. It just...added something to the whole experience.

“Amon,” Diane cooed in a voice dripping with fake surprise and a politeness that had long since vanished from her. “Whatever are you doing in here?”

“You know damn well what I'm doing here,” Amon whispered. “Balbaroy is out on patrol, he won't be back for at least an hour or two. This is...this is the best time to...ah...get this urge out of my system for a while.”

“Why Amon!” Diane continued, doing her best impression of being shocked as she walked towards the bed. “Do you mean to tell me you intend to CHEAT on your beloved husband? With me?”

Amon visibly flinched at the words, but nodded meekly. The sight was pure beauty to Diane's eyes, an exquisite work of art she had herself created. She sat down on the bed's edge, looking at the birdwoman with half-lidded eyes.

“Then whatever are you doing with that sheet over yourself? Hiding yourself from me?” Diane whispered. Amon paused, then slowly pulled the sheet off herself, revealing her toned body sheathed in soft, downy feathers. Diane's eyes glinted with lust in the candlelight.

“That's better,” she murmured, leaning over to kiss Amon lightly. Her tongue was eagerly met by the rough, darting response of Amon's, her wings flexing behind her in response to the sudden shudder of pleasure that passed through her. Diane's hand framed her face for just a brief moment before trailing down her front and gently massaging the two downy globes it found there. Diane withdrew from the kiss and Amon let out a sharp gasp, then a coo of approval as her hands did their work. Diane stopped there for a while, letting minutes tick by as she watched Amon squirm under her touch, her hands kneading and squeezing one of the few clearly mammalian parts of the birdwoman's anatomy. Finally, she released one of the breasts to Amon's moan of disapproval, letting the hand trail down to her already dripping slit. Amon suddenly clenched her beak shut to keep from screaming, and Diane couldn't help but smirk a little at that. Diane teased her a little more, gently rubbing her fingers around her opening, putting just a little pressure on her clit, before stopping and bringing both hands up to wrap around Amon.

“D-Diane...” Amon managed to say, before the elf silenced with another kiss, pressing her body against hers, rubbing her petite breasts against Amon's, running her hands down the curve of her back to grasp her ass, pushing her needy pussy against her thigh. For a time, both lovers were entwined like this, writhing in barely controlled ecstasy, before Diane tore herself away with fire in her eyes. She gazed at Amon's gasping form like a woman possessed, as her hands and mouth kissed and caressed their way down to her legs, gently spreading them as Diane licked around Amon's aching entrance. Amon grasped her breasts and waited, quivering, for whatever Diane would do next, her wings gently beating the air around them.

Diane looked up and grinned again. Then she slowly began to thrust her hand into Amon's waiting vagina. The birdwoman shrieked in pleasure despite herself as Diane kept pushing more and more of her hand in, until finally she was wrist deep in Amon.

“Now you just keep still, because I guarantee you're gonna like this,” Diane said, forming her fingers into a fist inside of Amon and slowly pulling out. Amon let out a low moan as she thrashed from side to side on the bed. Diane shook her head and clucked her tongue.

“Let's make this interesting, feather-tits. You talk all the time about self control and wanting to make sure you don't get caught...I want to see you prove it's not talk. Don't scream. Don't shout. Don't even move while I do this. If you do...” Diane leered at Amon. “I'll **stop**.”

Amon winced, but nodded slowly. Diane chuckled and resumed pulling her fist out. Amon's muscles tensed, relaxed, and tensed again as she fought hard not to squirm or moan. Diane pulled her hand out, only to begin to slowly thrust it in again. Amon's wings beat reflexively, and her leg twitched. Diane pretended not to notice, continuing on with her intimate work. Amon shut her eyes and clenched her beak as intense jolts of pleasure threatened to usurp control of her body. Her head whipped from side to side, her hands gripped the sheets so hard they torn in a few places. Diane pushed in all the way again and began to pull out faster. Amon felt like a bowstring being pulled back further and further, with agonizing slowness and no release in sight. Diane slowly increased her speed, and after just a few minutes more, it became too much for Amon.

“Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!” she bellowed as her interior clenched hard enough around Diane's wrist that she found it impossible to move for a time. Amon's pussy was squeezing with such desperate, hard delight that it was actually a little _painful_ for Diane. Juices covered her forearm, and Diane laughed loudly and freely as Amon's eyes rolled back up into their sockets and she collapsed into a writhing, squirming mess with the intensity of her orgasm. The magic Alef had put deep into Diane's mind triggered at once; the elven archer was momentarily stunned as she felt every bit of Amon's orgasm as if she had been the one whom had had lustful attention lavished all over them. Diane had quite a bit more experience and stamina than Amon though, and was able to recover much faster, savoring the last shreds of hazy pleasure as they left her. Her gaze returned to the woman in front of her.

“Good news, birdie!” Diane chirped, licking her hand clean and letting herself fall on top of Amon. “I was bluffing! I've got no intention of stopping. I'm going to make you scream again and again, going to really push our luck and see just how dense or naïve our dumbass teammates are. Sounds fun, right? You got a problem with this master plan of mine?”

“N-no...” Amon gasped as fervently as she could, still catching her breath. Diane beamed.

“Great, because I'm in no mood to wait around for you to make up your mind! Now get ready, because this next one might sting a little at first...”

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

“Did Tao say _why_ we weren't to go into the lower holds?” Luke asked. Gort grunted at the question and shook his head.

“Does she say anything to people who aren't Alef these days?” Gort retorted, holding the lantern aloft and looking around the piles of crates, barrels, and chests in the large chamber. “Besides, if there's something down there we're not to be messing with, she'd know better than to put the ship's rum down next to it. It's got to be up here somewhere.”

“Probably something magical. Maybe some cursed Runefaust thing she brought back for study or analysis,” Luke muttered, opening a chest only to frown at the clumps of dirty clothes within. “I think I found Arthur's chest. Didn't Lowe say he was going to keep all the foodstuff and drink organized? Act as ship's cook and all that?”

“Did you really expect him to do anything that sounds like work?” Gort snorted.

“When it has to do with the ease of him getting a snack? Absolutely,” Luke said, letting the chest lid fall shut again. “Besides, he's gotten...well, a little better about that sort of thing since we started this mess of a war. Find anything?”

“Stacks of books,” the other dwarf said, dropping the top back onto a pried-open crate. “Probably Anri's; better not mess with them.”

“Oh, Anri,” Luke replied. “I saw Anri talking to Tao the other day.”

“All right then, let me rephrase,” the older dwarf grumbled. “Does Tao say anything to anyone that isn't a female these days?”

Luke paused. “She told me to get the hell out of her way the other day.”

“I really hope that was an attempt at joking, otherwise I fear for the little beardlings you'll inflict on the world if you marry,” Gort said. “Let's try over there, I think I see some barrels without the water mark on them.”

“Give me some credit,” Luke said. “She did say that, but yeah I brought it up as a joke, I'm no- wait. Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Gort asked. The two dwarves paused in the hold, tilting their heads to the air before the distinct sound of Amon bellowing the loudest obscenity they'd heard in months shattered the stillness.

“Yeah, THAT I heard,” Gort affirmed.

“A dead duck buried in mud would've heard that,” Luke said. “Amon lose her favorite shield to the ocean or something? That happened to me once. Wasn't secured right, slid right overboard. Swear I saw a merman in Waral walking around with it a week later.”

Gort paused, listening still. Another shriek came, and a muffled yelp. A calculating look appeared on the old dwarf's face.

“Luke, is Balbaroy still out on air patrol?” Gort asked, turning to face his fellow warrior. Luke thought for a moment.

“I think so. Amon clearly hasn't relieved him yet. Why?”

“If Balbaroy isn't...” Gort tugged absentmindedly at his beard. “Then it couldn't...Or could it?” Gort shook his head as another loud vocalization echoed through the ship. “...Well, I don't know anything about birdfolk. Maybe this is normal for them.”

“Should we go up and check on her?” Luke asked. Gort fixed him with a baleful gaze.

“Laddie, that's the last thing we should do. Either she's in one hell of a rage, and walking in on an enraged woman is good only for training your ability to dodge blows, or she's...” Gort shook his head. “...Look, there's the rum. Five Xs mark the spot, you grab one end and I'll grab the other. Let's get it to the upper decks quickly. I suddenly really need a drink.”

“You always need a drink. We both do, we're dwarves!” Luke joked. “Anyway, what were you saying about Amon?”

“Light above, Luke, you really are making me worry for those beardlings of yours.”

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

Balbaroy was tired, but that was good. When you came back from an aerial patrol and your wings throbbed with exertion, your breath came hard, and your talons desperately wanted to touch ground again, it was the sign you did a good job and beyond that had a good workout. He swooped down and touched on deck with a loud thump, nodding to those meandering around the ship or watching the ocean. No sign of enemies, no sign of monsters, no sign of weather, everything was literally smooth sailing, as it had been for the last few days. The winged warrior shuffled for the door that led to the belowdecks stairs and sighed. He'd been hoping to talk with his wife tonight, but there wouldn't be time. She'd need to go on patrol right away according to the ship-board schedule. He hadn't said much, but he could feel there was a widening gulf between them, and it worried him. Their bond had been concrete even since they were first joined together, had even survived him turning to stone from that cursed Darksol's magic, but now something felt off about it. He reasoned it could be the war, could be all the stress and pain of the fighting weighing down on Amon at last, but until they were safely home in Bustoke they couldn't spare the time to talk about it. With Bleu and Kokichi gone, he and Amon were the sole flyers the Force had to safeguard them and scout until they made it to port. The land routes might be safe enough that such precautions were unnecessary, but Balbaroy had heard enough of the sorts of things that lurked in the sea that even with the war itself over, he wasn't going to let his guard down. It would be the height of irony if, after surviving a near-apocalyptic war against evil, the chosen warriors of Light were ambushed and slain by a wild kraken or great sea serpent.

Balbaroy snorted. It wasn't even a question of combat; he was sure even the reduced Force would triumph against such abominations. It was the fact that such creatures didn't attack the people on the ship, but the ship itself. And even moderate damage had a chance of making the ship take on enough water to sink.

The birdman shook his head to banish the dark thoughts as he made his way through the ship. There had been enough of that lately. Even if he could only talk with her a little bit now, he could hold his wife in his arms later tonight when she too returned from air-patrol. That would be enough until they were home, would have to be enough. He opened the door to the room he and his wife shared... and blinked as he beheld an empty bedchamber. He looked around, his keen eyes searching for any clue of his wife's whereabouts, but there was nothing. Balbaroy grunted in irritation. He'd have to find her to let her know it was her watch shift. He closed the door and began to search...

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

“Ah! Ah! Ah!” Amon cried out with each movement of Diane's hips as the elf thrust a long, knobbed strap-on dildo into her depths. Amon's hands were clasped firmly over Diane's, and those hands were clasped firmly on her breasts, kneading and massaging them as Amon spread her legs wide for her secret lover. One leg was braced on the bed and the other was high in the air. Amon's eyes were closed, her mouth agape as small moans or cries constantly escaped her, Diane alternatively licking, sucking, or nibbling on her neck as she kept up the thrusts from behind. So engrossed was Amon in the lovemaking that she didn't hear the muted talk in the hall, the tromp of footsteps on the wooden floor, or even the knock at the door. Even then, all might've gone well had not a sudden pinch of Amon's nipples caused the birdwoman to sharply cry in pleasure, and the person knocking on the door knew that sound well. The door opened, Diane either having forgotten, or much more likely not cared, to lock it, and Balbaroy's eyes widened at the sight in front of him.

Sheets and clothes were scattered everywhere. The only light came from a lantern that was nearly out of oil, shadows were everywhere... and for once Balbaroy cursed his extremely good vision, because nothing there hid his wife and Diane and what they were doing. Amon froze perfectly in place, her hands still over Diane's, which didn't stop fondling her even now. Diane, for her part, stopped thrusting, but mainly so she could adjust her position to better see Balbaroy. Her face had a supreme look of victory on it, which would've sent Balbaroy into a rage if he weren't paralyzed with shock.

“I...” Amon's eyes widened in horror as she realized how long she'd been here. “...I lost track of time... forgot when my shift was...”

“I can see that,” Balbaroy said, voice strained. “Amon...get off the bed. We're going to have...a long talk. Away from that...that _traitor_.”

“You are?” Diane asked, faking surprise. “Can't you wait just another twenty minutes or so? We were just about to break our record for how long we can keep fucking. You already ruined us breaking the record for how long we could go without being noticed, so-”

“Diane, I swear to Light, if we weren't on a ship full of people that would throw me in prison for it, I would gut you here and now,” Balbaroy told her. “Come on, Amon. I'm...We've got to talk. About this, about all of this.”

“Maybe she's tired of talking?” Diane asked, releasing her hands at last from Amon's breasts and stroking them languidly down her sides as they left her body. “Maybe she's tired of you?”

“Diane, I swear...”

“So do I, all the time,” Diane interrupted as she leaned forward to lick Amon's cheek. She turned to the birdwoman, her hands moving on her once again, her gaze locking with hers. Amon looked into those eyes and felt the pull of Alef's magic yet again, the stirrings in the back of her mind that promised sexual fantasies she didn't even have until just then.

“If you leave my bed now, you can't ever come back,” Diane quietly, gently whispered. Amon looked away, down, and then to her husband.

“...I don't want to go,” Amon quietly said. Balbaroy's face was stone.

“Say...exactly what you mean. So I don't misunderstand. Because our marriage depends on what you say now,” Balbaroy said, voice barely a whisper.

“I don't want to go with you,” Amon said. “I...Light help me, I think I might love Diane now. I can't...Balbaroy, I can't stop having sex with her! I can't stop thinking about her! Even when my mind and heart screamed it was wrong, when I tried to think of you...I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me...”

“She's made her choice,” Diane remarked with casual pleasure, looking at her one-time comrade with arrogant eyes, and at least one raised finger. Diane repositioned herself and began to penetrate Amon once more, the birdwoman's apologies fading into coos and moans of approval. “So get out of here, unless you want to watch.” Diane grinned. “It's not my thing, but this once I guess I might let you. I mean, I owe you one. Amon would've never become mine if you weren't such a failure of a husband.”

Diane might not have gone out of her way to be quite this cruel normally, but being called a traitor had been annoying. She had fought as hard, long, and earnestly as anyone else in the Force during the war, and she had made her intentions for Amon quite clear when she had first showed off her tats to everyone. Regardless of what else she might be charged with at this point, Diane had not betrayed anyone.

Balbaroy didn't scream. He didn't charge forward, he didn't draw his sword, he didn't start cursing; all the responses Diane expected and was eagerly awaiting never came. Instead the birdman looked at Diane squarely, even as she fucked his wife, and spoke three sentences in iron.

“I'm going to leave now. When I come back, and that might be weeks or months from now, I'll have found out whatever you did to my wife to make her like this, whatever happened to you to make you like this. On that day, I'll settle all my debts, and take back what's mine.”

Balbaroy did exactly what he said then. He turned and left. A minute later, Hans saw him take off from the deck, flying in the direction the coast was supposed to be. He didn't tell anyone where he was going, and he never came back to the ship.

Lowe walked past the open door to Diane's room later and saw the two still going at it. The secret affair became quite public the next morning.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

Alef was absentmindedly flipping the pages of a book of magic she'd brought with her from Runefaust in her quarters. Things were proceeding smoothly, very smoothly indeed. Tao and Diane had been fully subverted into her service (even if only one of them was conscious of this fact), Amon was well on the way, and seeds had been planted in Mae, Khris, and Anri's heads. As a bonus, it seemed that Diane had been planting similar seeds of desire in the citizenry and new leaders of Runefaust. So long as she kept being patient and staying the course she'd laid out for herself, Alef would be ruling Guardiana alongside a newly-made, deliciously dark queen, and a harem-bodyguard of the most stunning and dangerous fighters the world had seen in a long time. The demon-rod beside her shimmered for a moment with ruby light, and Alef considered what would come after, what conquests and lusts she could have beyond her immediate plan.

The foxling blinked hard and laughed. That seemed like a lot of work, to plan that far ahead when she'd have plenty of pleasure to drown herself in once her plan succeeded! There was no point in endlessly conquering or corrupting if you never took the time to enjoy the fruits of your labor, and Alef intended to enjoy every last bloom she'd planted. The staff beside her dimmed, the light nearly vanishing without Alef noticing, and the mage continued to read for a while. There was a spell here she was considering trying on Khris, properly modified of course. The little priestess had a resistance to such magic thanks to the blessing of that insipid power she worshiped.

Alef wrinkled her nose in disgust. The Light...how vague and banal could a deity be? At least pick a deity with a proper name, Volcanon or Mitula...Alef smiled slyly to herself. She could easily imagine herself worshiping Mitula, but she doubted it would be the sort of worship her priestesses would approve of...at least until she'd managed to compel them to join in. The staff beside her glowed softly again, and Alef closed her eyes, daydreaming of a possible future goal, the beautiful blue-haired goddess herself in a giant bed, attended by her many gorgeous priestesses. Diaphanous robes barely hid their perfect forms as they worked Alef over with hands and mouth...as Mitula herself serviced Alef, loved her, submitted to her...worshiped her. Worshiped Alef as a goddess...as Mitula's own goddess...

To say Alef was irritated when the knock at the door roused her from her most pleasant daydream was an understatement. The foxwoman huffed and barked a coarse “Enter!” The irritation lessened somewhat as Alef saw it was her favorite slave, Tao.

“Forgive this intrusion Mistress,” the elf began, her outfit hidden by robes, as was usual while aboard the ship. “I'm very pleased to bring some good news to you.”

“Oh?” Alef asked, sitting up, interest sparking in her mind. Tao wouldn't bother with a pronouncement of 'good news' unless it was something that fit her now warped definition of 'good', that being, anything that would give her mistress pleasure. “Speak.”

“I managed to acquire a gift I think you will especially enjoy before we left Runefaust, a prize I've been working very hard to arrange a proper presentation for,” Tao said, bowing slightly, keeping her eyes on the floor as she talked to the only focus of her devotion. “Tonight those efforts take shape. There will be no one but you and I...and one other in the lower hold tonight. The door will be magically sealed, and I completed a magical sound-proofing spell on it hours ago.”

“My dear, you've gone and made me very interested,” Alef said, rising from the bed and gesturing with a flick of her wrist. The Demon Rod floated to her waiting grasp. “What...no, I know better, WHO is this prize?”

Tao allowed her eyes to rise ever so slightly and suppressed a playful smirk. “...Mistress would that not spoil the surprise?” Alef allowed herself a chuckle.

“I suppose it would at that. All right, lead on.”

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

Tao opened the door to the cargo hold and held it for Alef, an oddly pensive expression on her face. She moved immediately to lock the door after Alef entered, then swiftly moved into stride behind her. The hold was lit by four lanterns, one at each corner. They provided more than ample light to see the large lump covered by a blanket at the mostly empty hold's center. As Alef had expected, it was almost certainly a person, given the way it was moving around underneath the covering. What she hadn't expected was who it turned out to be. 

“Behold!” Tao said, moving up to take off the cover. “The princess of Runefaust!”

Bound and gagged under the blanket was a rather beautiful young woman in a rather ridiculous outfit of black, red, and purple. Fur and frills lined the clothes, obviously very expensive things, and two large gold bracelets encircled her hands, tied as they were. Alef looked at the prisoner appraisingly, as the young woman attempted to shout something through the gag. She had long blue hair, and her figure was mostly hidden by her outfit, though Alef could make short work of that. There was definite potential here.

“Tao, I thought that Ramladu had no kin,” Alef said, looking from the woman to her servant. “She does look rather fetching, though.”

“I found her at the docks trying to book passage. She claimed to be the late king's only child,” Tao said, bowing at the waist. Alef appreciated more the view it gave of Tao's impressive cleavage rather than the sign of servitude. “After performing some research, and making some...discreet inquiries, it appears she truly is the king's child, one kept from public eye in the depths of the castle. Her name is Narsha, and all this time we've been fighting, she was being kept safe and secure...and secret in her daddy's fortress-home.”

“Oooooh, a sheltered princess,” Alef smiled hungrily and licked her lips. “She could be fun to work with.”

“I had the same thought, my Mistress,” Tao replied. “I captured her and brought her here as a gift to you, a royal offering as a sign of my eternal devotion and love. I...I only ask for one small boon in return.”

Alef turned to Tao with just a little surprise. By this time, it was unlike Tao to ask for anything for herself, the magical hold on her was too strong. Tao continued, unaware of the sudden scrutiny she received from her mistress.

“Please, my Mistress, I want to watch you as you make this one yours.”

Alef blinked, and a throaty chuckle issued from behind her teeth. “Of course, of course my dear Tao, do watch. You might even learn something!”

Tao beamed as her request was granted, an unusually positive expression on her face since Alef molded her to be dark and seductive. It passed quickly enough, and Tao sauntered over to a corner to watch with eager anticipation. Alef looked over the prisoner-princess and grinned even as Narsha glared daggers at her. There were a million ideas burning in her head, but which one to pick? Here she had the beautiful daughter of one of her more recent foes completely at her mercy, a proud aristocrat that even now tried to affect a regal air...what vision of sexuality would she corrupt her into?

Alef reached out to undo the gag on her prisoner. Tao surprised her by speaking suddenly.

“Mistress...” Tao warned. “She does have some small spellcasting power. It is not honed by experience like mine or yours, and I'm sure you have nothing to fear with your great might, but I would be a poor slave if I didn't warn you.”

“Really?” Alef paused at this. “How much?”

“Very little. If, however, she had journeyed past the castle and learned for herself how to use it, or been properly taught...there is tremendous talent there, at least as much as my own, perhaps even as much as Anri's. But it has not been developed.”

Alef considered this. Corrupting a powerful magic user as a servant was always a potent advantage, but she already had Tao...and soon she would have Khris and Anri, as well. Was there a need for another wielder of magic at her side? Or was she disposable?

The answer began to form in Alef's mind immediately, but she undid the gag on Narsha anyway. This would effectively be the last time the poor girl could speak as a person and not a slave, might as well let her have a few last moments.

“Ruffians!” the princess spat as the cloth gag left her mouth. “Villains! How dare you capture I, the princess of Runefaust?! When my loyal bodyguard finds me, you'll pray to all the gods you'd not been so stupid as to-”

“Already beginning to regret taking this out,” Alef said, tossing the gag in her hand up and down. “But even so, that's pretty rich to hear from the little girl of Ramladu the Mad.”

“My...My father is not...” Narsha said, biting back the words.

“Alive? No, not anymore. You knew that, though, or you wouldn't have tried to flee,” Alef said, tossing the gag over her shoulder. “Your father's troops tried to kill me so many times during the war...tried to invade my homeland and raze it to look for whatever dark artifact they thought might be useful in its vaults...I think this right here is divine justice.”

“Father was being controlled by Darksol!” Narsha shouted. “If he had been himself...If he had been himself, he would never have ordered such things. That's why...I've got to get to Guardiana. I've got to talk with the queen there and explain, try to save some shred of honor for him...”

Alef burst out laughing, causing Narsha to stop mid-sentence. “Well, you're going to get your wish.”

“...What?” Narsha asked, immediately suspicious. Alef grinned.

“You're on a boat going to Guardiana right now. You're on a boat with the queen on it,” Alef said.

“I am? Then...”

“But meeting with the queen is pointless because what you just said is what your father himself told her, told all of us with his dying breath!” Alef shook her head. “Don't you get it, you silly girl? We're part of the Shining Force! And you got yourself kidnapped trying to tell us things we already knew!”

“But...if you're part of the Shining Force...you shall release me, yes?” Narsha asked, hope in her eyes. Alef grinned wider.

“At this point...I guess you might call me more 'affiliated with' than 'part of' the Shining Force...and I've got ideas of my own for what's going to happen to you.” Alef's grin turned to a subtle and terrifying smile. “Do you know the sort of magic Darksol used to control your father?” Narsha did not reply, so Alef kept on talking. “I do. It's one of the first forms of magic I learned from...well, I guess that's not something you need to know.” Alef made a gesture, and the Demon Rod floated to her hand. “Needless to say, I had a lot of fun experimenting with it, learning its limits and what it could do. There are still a lot of gaps in my knowledge, though. Gaps I think you could help me fill out. That's a fair trade for your dad trying to kill me all those times, don't you think?”

“You...you can't mean...” Narsha struggled harder at her bonds. “I won't become like my father! I won't be some puppet!”

“Oh, don't worry about that. I find puppets terribly boring, and besides, that's more Mishaela's thing,” Alef said. In the background, Tao smirked. “You're not going to be a puppet, you're going to be a whore!”

“What?!” Narsha gasped, horrified.

“Don't look so scared, dear princess. After I'm done with you, you're going to absolutely love your new life! I think you'll find that I'm about to give you happiness and contentment with your life better than you've ever known before now,” Alef reassured her, beginning to trace arcane runes along the Demon Rod's side. “And in the process of transforming the last royal member of Runefaust into a lusty wench, I'm going to test out a few theories of mine. Mainly, just what can I do with that untapped magical potential you have? I've already experimented with infusing small bits of my power into others...but what if I tried to mold that power inside you directly? What would happen if I tried to shape your natural talent into something more befitting that new life that awaits you, hmm?” Alef chuckled, and magic began to thrum around her. “I can't wait to find out!”

Narsha struggled harder against her bonds, but Alef turned to Tao.

“Hold her fast, just in case. I'm going to try something new,” Alef said, waiting for her loyal servant to wrap Narsha in an embrace, before closing her eyes and calling on the power within the Demon Rod. With a few murmured words, she was inside Narsha's mind. She could feel the power there, different from that of a mage or even a priest. Latent and buried, Alef worked on calling it forward, examining it closely to determine its nature. After a few moments of concentration, Alef realized just what talent Narsha had. If she had been properly trained, her power could've easily become support magic, healing her allies and boosting their physical abilities by manipulating their bodies in helpful ways, making them faster, stronger, more resistant to damage. At its core, Narsha was talented with the sort of magic that affects bodies. Alef could not have wished for a better find.

“Oh, Tao, you've brought me something truly delicious, I think,” Alef said, already beginning to work her way through Narsha's mind. The start was easy enough. Narsha had always secretly desired to leave the castle and see the world. Now that desire was replaced with something similar...she still wanted to leave...but it was because she so longed to experience all the pleasures of the outside world. Alef planted new memories in the princess' mind, memories of overheard stories from whispering maids about secret trysts, memories of listening in on guards talking about trips to the brothel or dancing houses, memories of fantasies that she never had, but now had grown to obsessions in her mind. Alef made it so that Narsha remembered overhearing bawdy tale after bawdy tale, and instead of being shocked or embarrassed, each eavesdropped story left the fair maiden desperately wanting more. In her new memories, she had finally cornered a chamber maid and made her tell her everything she knew about revelry. Blushing madly, the maid had gone on about the drinking, the games, and the sexual escapades that the castle staff got up to when they were off duty. The young princess absorbed it all with an eager mind, and made her promise to tell her more later. The two would meet many times to trade stories of lust, Narsha always driving for more, until finally she could no longer stand being just a listener, and clumsily seduced the chambermaid into her bed.

Rather than sate her, this seemed to open the floodgates, destroying her inhibitions, but not her caution. The next two years of her life were spent honing her ability to remain undetected while engaged in intercourse, and how to subtly and overtly seduce both sexes. Narsha worked her way through nearly the entire castle. Male or female, ugly or beautiful, it didn't matter to her. Every conquest was a unique, new experience that she enjoyed, though she certainly had her favorites...all women, of course.

Finally, two years after the fateful kiss that led to a broken bed and a lost virginity, Narsha had her twentieth birthday and realized the castle had nothing left for her. She'd sampled everyone she could sample without getting caught, indulged every whim she could think of, and still the outside world teased her with the promise of new and exciting pleasures, sexual partners beyond count. She was well aware her father was losing the war. If his defeat should come to pass, she resolved to take all the money she could, and...

Alef paused for a moment to consider where to take this impressive fabrication next. Narsha's eyes were rolled back in her head, her mouth agape as her mind was being re-worked, cycling through dozens, hundreds of images of fabricated trysts that were now becoming the reality of her past, all rushing through her mind as she 'remembered' each as it was created. Alef looked at the vacant face for a moment and smiled as inspiration hit.

...and leave the castle, to never return. Pleasure was all she wanted now. She wanted to experience everything and everyone, to never return to that prison of a home. She'd spent weeks in the greater city, getting to know the people that would once have been her subjects in the most intimate ways, before realizing a few things. First, that though her money was running out, she could easily make more just by charging the people she seduced. Second, the war-torn city wasn't the place for someone looking to revel in party after party. Third, she was quickly growing to prefer female over male customers. Last, she'd heard of a ship leaving port that held Alef of Prompt, and her underlings, Diane and Tao. Those names had been spoken of in lust-driven whispers by many of the women that had bought her services since she began her odyssey, and she was convinced they could teach her much in the arts of pleasure.

“And that should bring us to the present,” Alef said to herself, breaking the silence of the last twenty minutes while making the usual final modifications of overcharging Narsha's sex drive, making her greatly desire women, and making her unable to disobey Alef. _The last one shouldn't be needed, but you never know_ , Alef thought. She broke off the spell, waited a few moments for the renovated mind to settle down, then snapped her fingers to wake the woman. Narsha's eyes fluttered open, the princess looking confused and groggy, but no longer panicked or even uncomfortable.

“Did I...fall asleep?” Narsha asked, looking around. She locked eyes with Alef and straightened. “Oh...Oh! You're...Alef, right? If you're here...” Narsha's face brightened. “...I succeeded in stowing away on your ship! So...” Narsha frowns. “Why can't I remember it?” Alef laid a hand on Narsha's shoulder and spoke in as soothing a voice as she could manage.

“You really don't remember? I must have zapped you harder than I thought. Sorry.” Alef began untying the bonds on the princess. “You did make it to us, explained what you wanted, and we agreed to help teach you...well, everything you wanted and more. We'd moved on from bondage to creative uses of magic in the bedroom, when you insisted on trying to use the Bolt spell to...” Alef thought for a moment. “...stimulate parts of you. I didn't think it was a good idea, but you were so adamant about trying new things...eventually I gave in, just like I gave in to your persuasive arguments about teaching you. You seem fine for the most part. Mild memory loss can sometimes happen in cases like these.”

Narsha frowned, and seemed to sink into thought for a moment. Alef hastily implanted a few scattered shards of memory to corroborate what she had just said. Finally, she nodded happily.

“That makes sense, I suppose,” Narsha said, pulling the ropes off her and rising with a sigh. “I feel like I've been sitting for weeks! That spell must have done a number on me!”

“Mistress Alef's magic often tends to overpower those who are not properly prepared,” Tao said, putting her hands on Narsha's back and pressing her breasts against her. “Other than that, are you feeling alright?”

Narsha smiled and leaned back into Tao, resting her head in the valley between the elf's bound orbs. “Mmmmm. Much better now.” Tao only smiled hungrily in response.

“I think perhaps we should table magic for now, but when we return to it, would you be open to...well, something special with me?” Alef asked, looking Narsha in the eye as she moved forward to press on her front the same way Tao was pressing her back. “There's a special teaching method I only use with students I think have the most talent. You open your mind to me, and I directly guide your thoughts to show you the proper techniques and methods of pleasure. It's the most...intimate mentoring I can give.”

“I like the sound of it already,” Narsha breathlessly said, her hands moving up Alef's back to squeeze her closer. “...Can we start now?”

Alef was about to agree, when she realized something troubling. She had exhausted her magical power with the dramatic rewrite of Narsha's memories. She'd need some time to recharge. The foxling winced a little, then covered it up with another of her sly grins.

“...Not yet, my pet. You're already recovering from that nasty shock I gave you. Rest down here, and remember not to leave your room here without one of us to help hide you. The others...wouldn't understand why you were here. We'll try tomorrow. You should be at full strength for what I have in mind, because I assure you,” Alef laughed a little, “you'll never be the same after it. Now then, there's no reason why I can't give you some other lessons while we wait for that, hmmm?”

Narsha smiled sultrily as she began to slip out of her outfit, Alef and Tao all too eager to help her. “No reason at all...”

Alef and Tao found themselves kept very busy by the princess' education for the remainder of the day. So much so, that the events surrounding Amon and Diane barely bothered them.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

“Land ho!” the cry came from the crow's nest, and Anri let a long sigh loose in relief. The monarch went to the cabin's doors and opened them, stepping out into the sunlight and sea air. She didn't have the benefit of height from the crow's nest, but in the distance she could see it too, a dim line of black on the horizon. The coastline of Guardiana. She was almost home at last. After going through a terrible war, losing a good friend, finding a new love, fighting battle after battle both on the field and in the political struggles of restructuring a defeated nation...she was almost home.

Almost home to her new duties and responsibilities. The sigh of relief was followed by a far more tired sigh. Was there truly anything to feel relieved about? She feared that what awaited her now might be the hardest part of her journey yet.

Anri felt a strong arm wrap around her waist, and felt a familiar warmth and softness press against her back. So deep in reverie was she, that Mae had been able to sneak up on her and wrap her in an embrace despite the loud sound of her hooves clopping on the deck.

“It'll be OK,” Mae whispered, not needing any explanation as to what the queen was worrying about.

“I know,” Anri said. “I'm just...so tired. Our work hasn't even begun and I'm so tired...”

Mae gave her a reassuring squeeze and a quick peck on the cheek before she released her, others were beginning to come above as well. She did lean in and whisper, though. “Then take a few days before our real work begins,” she advised. “Queens can do that, you know.”

Anri chuckled. “Mae, are you suggesting...I slack off? So unlike you.”

“I only suggest it out of deepest concern for your welfare, my queen,” Mae said, bowing her head, and adding in a quiet whisper she was sure no one would overhear. “...As I will suggest some methods for regaining your vitality later.” Anri laughed and tossed her hair back.

“If the nation wasn't keeping me busy enough, Mae!”

The centaur-knight simply winked and turned her gaze back to the homeland she too had left so long ago. Mae herself was fighting thoughts of melancholy. Though she didn't have the weight of a crown to bear, she had lost her best friend (aside from Anri, of course) in Max, and her father to this war. She had been fighting even longer than Anri, and had grown weary of it probably even before her lover. Though the coast before her promised more work to do, it was the work of rebuilding her home, and after the death she'd witnessed, that was hardly work at all. As other members of the Force began to cluster around the side of the ship to sight the kingdom they'd left so long ago, Mae quietly swore a vow to herself. She'd never let a conflict like this tear her homeland apart again. She'd never let such an evil threaten to consume the land her father and friend died for, the land the woman she loved led.

Hidden under Alef's robes, no one saw the slight ruby glow that shimmered, ever so briefly, across the cursed staff she carried.


	9. Chapter 9

The sounds of Narsha's soft moans echoed through the vast house, but for once it was only partially due to sex. Alef had her hands to either side of Narsha's head and leaned her forehead to hers as their naked bodies intertwined. She thrilled at the touch of bare breasts on hers, Narsha's well-trained hands moving over her body even as she plunged into her very mind to change her. 

The magic came first. Alef explored the darkest reaches of Narsha's mystical reservoir before implanting a handful of very base and basic magics for her use. The ability to tap her magical powers to heighten sexual pleasure, the ability to tap her magic to renew her energy, banish exhaustion, the ability to impart this same energy to a lover...and Alef laid the groundwork for far more before growing impatient and moving on to what she really wanted. Alef dove into Narsha's mind and searched for a place to work with. She finally settled for a large cluster of memories concerning religious lore, nobility, and history, knowledge she'd been taught as a proper princess. Alef snorted and wiped all of it away in an instant. Narsha only had one goddess now, and she was about to learn all she needed to know about her. Alef brought forth countless memories of conquests and lusts, techniques and touches, all the sexual skills she could remember, and wove them into Narsha's brain. The years of study for something that had no place in her new life was replaced in short order with the most advanced skills in pleasure Alef could remember, skills earned from years of study and experimentation given to another in just moments.

There was no need for subtlety this time. Narsha knew the memories were implanted, but thanks to the previous brainwashing, she WANTED them. Alef could feel her mind eagerly reach for and tug each memory into itself even as she felt Narsha's zealous hands test each new skill they learned on Alef. The foxling mage groaned and twisted, finding the combination of intimacies unbelievably delightful. Every jolt of pleasure, every sigh escaping her own lips let her know a technique had been successfully transferred as Narsha's hands and tongues demonstrated her growing prowess to her.

This lasted for some time before Narsha's energy began to flag, and Alef had to summon the Demon Rod to her hand, drawing on the staff's ancient power to revitalize her a little bit. The rod thrummed with power and Alef immediately felt a fresh wave of pure lust wash over her, and through her into Narsha. The foxling's remaining memories drove themselves into Narsha's brain with such force the woman came right then and there, uttering a low, loud moan that left her slack-jawed as Alef ravished her body in the aftermath of the mind-break. With Narsha barely holding on, Alef ran her tongue all over her, urgently pressing her core against her, her breasts against hers, her hands exploring breasts, ass, back, running through hair, and finally back up to her head to frame her face for a final, searing kiss that sealed in everything she had just done.

Tao rose from her kneeling position outside Alef's door as the it opened, Alef walking through with a toothy grin. The elf could just barely see Narsha collapsed on the bed in the darkness of the room beyond. She gave her mistress a questioning look.

“My mistress?” she inquired.

“The bulk of the work is done, but I find I've let myself run away with things,” Alef yawned, putting a hand on Tao's shoulder that slipped down to squeeze her breast. “Do me a favor and finish her up for me, hm? You remember the plan?”

“Yes-ah! Yes, Mistress, I remember,” Tao moaned. Alef grinned and walked away.

“Then I leave it to you.”

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

Alef was reading a book in the study of the house she had taken for herself while in Guardiana. Tao and Diane had found for her a small mansion on the city outskirts whose current owner was a kyantol widow only in her late thirties, and not bad looking at all. She had of course, had the two sisters seduce the woman and bring her to Alef for a very pleasant night of brainwashing and sex. Now she commanded the servants of the house at Alef's behest, and occasionally warmed her bed alongside Tao. Alef had toyed with the idea of implanting a strong love for a fellow noblewoman in the widow's head and watching the ensuing drama for her own amusement, but such a thing could wait until she was past such a vital part of her plans. Narsha herself had at first been just an unexpected and pleasant distraction, but the magics dormant within her seemed to hold far more promise than Alef first thought. If Alef could learn to use similar magic in tandem with the Demon Rod, then...

Alef's train of thought was interrupted by Tao opening the door to the study. With no need for disguise in the mansion's interior, she wore only her bustier and thong ensemble, leaving much of her body on display for Alef's viewing pleasure. Tao wasted no time in approaching Alef and dropping to a knee.

“Mistress,” Tao said, bowing her head. “I have completed your orders and given one of your newest servants the changes you set down for me.”

“Excellent, my dear. I look forward to see your interpretation of my orders.” Alef smiled as Tao clapped her hands and issued the command.

“Slave, step forward!”

Alef looked over to see Narsha step forward from behind the door Tao had entered from. She was dressed in a skirt that left little to the imagination, with a black top that barely covered the breasts bulging out of it. A leopard-fur jacket covered more, but with its front left open, it only served to draw the eye to the flesh on display. The princess' face was heavy with dark eye-liner and lipstick, many piercings dangling off her ears, and Alef guessed, probably other places as well.

“Nice, nice...Reminds me of some of the more successful tavern wenches that frequented the red light district in Prompt,” Alef nodded. “At some point, perhaps I'll have you imitate a geisha from the far eastern kingdoms, but this will do for now.”

“You're only seeing half of the changes here, Mistress,” Tao said with barely restrained glee, stepping behind Narsha and planting a kiss on her lips, which was eagerly returned as her hands squeezed her bosom and undid the top there. The black garment fell to the ground, leaving a pair of large breasts with nipples pierced by large golden hoops exposed to the air. Tao played with these almost absentmindedly as she broke her kiss with a gasp. “Slave, show Alef what I mean.”

“With great pleasure, Tao,” Narsha said with a sultry smile. “Mistress, using the magics you and Tao unlocked in me, I managed to learn how to manipulate my own body. If you feel like my current form is too vulgar...” Narsha's large breasts immediately shrank to even more appealing A cups, which she ran her hands over enticingly. “...or not vulgar enough...” She pulled at her nipples, and Alef watched as her breasts expanded back to their original size and larger, a pair of watermelon-sized tits now proudly on display for her. Narsha winked. “So long as the change isn't too drastic, I can be whatever you want me to be. Whatever my customer wants me to be.”

“A lovely use of your powers,” Alef agreed, licking her lips as Narsha reset her breasts to their original size. “Saves me the time and energy of doing it myself if I feel bored...”

“Oh, but that's not it,” Narsha said, running her hands through her hair. The blue turned to black, then to green, then to white, then back to blue. Narsha winked again and closed her eyes for a moment. Her ivory skin began to darken, turning a warm brown, then a coal-black. Narsha strutted around for a moment, before closing her eyes again, her skin lightening to a slate gray. Then she made a gesture, and her skin returned to its original color.

“Hair color, skin color...trivial to change, but if you're in the mood for a certain type of girl, I can oblige.” Narsha smiled. “In fact...”

Narsha began chanting lightly, and Alef was surprised to see Narsha's display go from parlor magic to something more substantive. The fallen princess' features softened, her hair grew longer, eyes golden, until Alef had to mentally slap herself to prevent her shock from showing. Narsha was now a perfect imitation of the goddess Mitula. She put a finger to her mouth. “If it's not a certain type of girl, but just a certain _girl_ you want...I can be that girl, too...for a short time.” Narsha opened her mouth and her tongue rolled out, growing in length until it whipped around at least a foot, before shrinking back and retracting into her mouth.

“To say I'm suitably impressed would be an understatement. I had expected her to be able to do something subtle, like pheromone manipulation or increased stamina. This is far beyond that. Tao, you've outdone yourself with this,” Alef exclaimed, utterly delighted. Tao's face slackened for a moment as something approaching pure bliss passed through her at such high praise from her Mistress. Then she smiled and replied.

“She can do those things as well, but it would not do to have her project her lust-inducing pheromones towards you. It would be unbecoming of a slave to manipulate their owner.”

“Perhaps, but I may wish to sample the stamina later...Especially that tongue,” Alef said, pushing away her book. “In the meantime, I wish to reward you for an exemplary job. Come to me, my dear. Sit on this table.”

Tao smiled and sauntered over to the table Alef sat at, planting herself directly before her Mistress until it would only have taken a very slight push to have caused her to fall into her lap. Alef looked up and grinned at her slave, then with a deft movement of her hand summoned magic to pull away Tao's thong, leaving her bare pussy before her. Tao licked her lips in anticipation, her hands first going to Alef's head, then thought better of it and went to her own breasts, gently pinching the nipples and massaging the flesh globes. Alef was slowly lowering herself to Tao's nethers, licking all around the small patch of soft pink hair that surrounded the small slit of soft pink flesh. Her animal ears twitched as Tao let out a sharp gasp as her tongue errantly flicked over her clit. The corners of her mouth curled into a smile as her tongue went to work.

Narsha was still standing where she had performed her display, and on seeing Alef begin to pleasure Tao, she bit her lip and began to slide a single hand down her front. From her point of view, all she could do was see Tao's head thrown back in ecstasy, her leather-bound breasts straining at their prison while Alef's head moved slowly around her groin. She could hear the soft gasps and coos of one of her teachers, and her hand dipped into her pants to slowly circle her own needy entrance. As she watched, Tao tore her bustier off, casting it aside as Alef leaned up to suck on her breasts for a single blissful moment before returning to her work pleasuring her servant.

Tao was in heaven. She was not only being eaten out by the woman she loved above anything else, she was begin eaten out as a reward for having served her well. The mental conditioning in her bombarded her with emotional and almost spiritual pleasure alongside the raw sexual desire being met by this act, building into a heavy tension within her. She looked down and met Alef's half-lidded eyes for but a moment, before the first orgasm hit her and her eyes shut with the intensity of it. She opened her mouth and proclaimed her love loudly as one by one a string of orgasms hit her. “Alef! Alef!! ALEF!!!”

“Tao...Alef...” Narsha whispered, her one hand freely plunged into herself as the scene in front of her woke her desires yet again despite being having gone through many sexual training sessions earlier in the day. The magic that flowed through her reinvigorated her with a thought now that she had been prepared to use it, and even though she wanted nothing more than to pounce onto that table and join the fun, even in this altered state Narsha knew better than to get between Alef and her favorite slave without explicit permission. Right now the two were locked on each other, and Narsha made do with her own fingers...very skilled fingers, as she ran through the library of techniques Alef had left to her and selected one to try on herself.

“Uh! UGH! AH!” Narsha's voice joined Tao's in wordless enthusiasm as the other mage shouted unintelligibly, save for the occasional call of “ALEF!” When Alef finally withdrew, Tao had a dazed smile on her face, one that stared at the fox-woman with complete contentment as she licked her lips.

“That's enough for one day, I think. I do have other work to do,” Alef said, smiling. “Tao, go fetch the servants to clean up here. Narsha...Well, I think it's time you start your rounds, don't you?”

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

Amon woke groggily in the bed, her senses slowly returning to her as she felt the sensation of toned muscles and warm flesh against her. Still half asleep, she turned in bed and was almost surprised to see long, pierced ears, and pink hair on the pillow beside her, instead of brown feathers. Diane turned lazily and smiled. “Morning, lover.”

In an instant, it all came back to Amon. She'd left her husband. She'd left the man who had been turned to stone protecting their home. She'd turned away from a bond that was years being forged. She'd thrown away all her past for...for...

Diane's fingers crept along Amon's back, tracing lines up and down her spine before she brought her face to nestle in between her down-covered breasts. Amon barely squawked in surprise before Diane began rubbing her face back and forth across the birdwoman's bosom with increasing force, before withdrawing in glee.

“Mmmm, fuck yeah. Damn good way to wake up in the morning. So what's with the look, bird-bitch?” Diane asked. “Not still bummed about ditching that loser, are you?”

“I...” Amon stopped, but her expression made it obvious what she was thinking. Diane rolled her eyes.

“Look, birdie, you made your choice. You're mine now...” Diane's hand slipped down Amon's side to tease her slit. “...right?”

“Ah! Yes!” Amon cried out happily.

The two of them were in a tavern in the city proper, neither really desiring to deal with the other members of the Shining Force at this time, and Diane not wanting to show Amon off to Tao and Alef yet until she was 'ready.' Being more honest with herself, she was fairly sure the foxling would want her to share, and she didn't want to yet. The tavern itself was a fairly disreputable one, perfect for the new persona Diane had adopted, and was trying to instill in Amon. Every night this was a place of hard drinking, hard fighting, and hard fucking, and that was true of most guests here, not just Diane, for once. The room they had rented was already in a shambles, with armor and clothes tossed everywhere alongside blankets and sheets shredded by talons in fits of passion.

Diane's fingers entered Amon fully, and she leaned against her. “Good. I was beginning to think you were having second thoughts. If you were, I guess I'd have to just leave.”

“N-no!” Amon murmured desperately. Diane chuckled as she fiercely fondled her with her other hand, her left probing deep inside Amon for that special spot Diane knew so well. In just a few minutes, Amon's eyes were rolled back in her head and she was squealing as Diane fingered her, the squeals turning to screams as tongue replaced fingers. A short while later, their bodies were clapping together, Diane ramming a long, studded dildo into Amon's depths, her hands tightly gripping her legs open as the birdwoman reaffirmed her allegiance to Diane over and over again.

“Your problem, Amon,” Diane grunted as she thrust, “is that you don't fully appreciate what you've got here with me.”

“Diane! Oh! Diane, I do!” Amon shouted, her hands fumbling for Diane's nipples.

“No, you don't. You've only been on the receiving end of my skills. There's so much more you need to experience for yourself,” Diane told her, leaning down on Amon as she raised one of her legs up into the air, bracing herself on the bed with the other. “The thrill of seduction is like the thrill of the hunt. The feeling you get when you finally get that hot piece of ass into bed with you...marvelous! You need to know what that's like!”

“I...I do? Ah! AH!” Amon moaned. Diane's gaze bored into her and she felt flush with pleasure. “I do!”

“That's why...Uh! After this! Ah!” Diane's speech floundered as she felt Amon's orgasm begin to build up. “We're going out, and you're going to find a woman to take back here and fuck yourself!”

“DIAAAAAAAAAAANE!” Amon howled as the two came at once.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

“It's something to consider, Anri,” Nova said. “While it's true that many other issues have taken priority over such domestic concerns, the changes in Tao, Alef, and Diane seem to only be growing. Not only in themselves, but others too. Did you ever think there would be a day when you'd see Amon leave Balbaroy? She stayed for weeks in a haunted, ruined church while he was turned to stone out of love for him.”

Anri winced at that last point. It made her wonder how she would react if she found Mae in the arms of another, a hollow apology on her lips. The thought wasn't pleasant. It was one thing for them to share their bed and their love with Khris together, knowingly, but to be lied to, left out, replaced...Despite that, her response was hardly in agreement with her advisor.

“There could be many other issues at work with Amon and Balbaroy. In all the time we were with them, when did they ever talk about their relationship? Maybe they were having problems, and it all just came to a head in time for Diane to take advantage of it with her new, ah, outlook,” Anri suggested reasonably, tapping a finger on her throne-arm. “Besides, a marriage breaking up is hardly cause to concern a kingdom.”

“That's not the point, my queen, and I think you know that,” Nova said, shaking his head. “The point isn't that nothing has been done to Guardiana yet, the point is that several women in the Shining Force, a military body now responsible for saving the world, have all had radical personality shifts in a short period of time. I know this has been discussed before, and you yourself concluded it was probably magic, didn't you? Why the reluctance to look into it?”

Anri couldn't exactly tell Nova that herself and Mae had occasionally joined Alef and Tao in their wild bouts of passion, sometimes for 'educational' reasons, sometimes just for sheer enjoyment. Nor could she tell Nova that she and Mae had benefited from the changes in another of these women, and that Khris was now growing dearer to them with each passing day. She opted to instead state the lesser reason she was reluctant to look into this now.

“Because it's none of our business and they're not hurting anyone,” Anri said. “Honestly Nova, I'm confused why you bring this up now.”

Nova frowned, face growing even more serious. “I didn't want to say anything at first for much the same reasons you just said. However...Well, majesty, to be frank, they seem to present a much different face when you're around. Out of your presence, Diane's openly hostile to anything not a female, Tao follows Alef more like a worshiper than a lover, and...well to be frank, all three of them have been acting very sneaky since we got off the boat.” Nova held up a finger. “And I may be old, but I remember enough to tell apart the sort of sneaky you share with a certain knight, and the sort of sneaky these three are showing.”

Anri was going to respond, but found herself a little stunned by Nova letting slip that he already knew about her love life. Her mouth remained open, but no sound came from it, and a faint blush of embarrassment spread on her cheeks. Nova sighed.

“I've known you most of your life, dear girl, and I was young, too, once. Honestly.” The dragon-man shook his head. “But that's a talk for another time. My point is simply that even if what we're seeing now is benign...and after Amon, I'm not sure it is, there could be far more under the surface. Anything from some last-shot plan of Mishaela's to splinter the Force with internal drama via charm spells, to some spell Alef cast going off mark with long term consequences. I am only saying that now things are calmer, this is the time to look into this before it becomes anything more than a series of interpersonal conflicts.”

“All right,” Anri sighed, putting her face in her hands. “All right, you convinced me. I'll prepare a few powerful spells of detection, cast them quietly. I still think you're overreacting, but these are my friends and this is my queendom, and I can't afford to be lazy about such things. It shouldn't be too hard to find out enough to put your fears to rest.”

“I hope it's that easy...” Nova replied doubtfully, tucking his ever-present notebook under his arm. “I am hesitant to mention this, but part of the reason I began looking into this matter again is that I received an anonymous tip. A parchment left sealed on my desk. It only said to watch out for Alef and those she gathers to her.”

“That's unsettling, but hardly damning,” Anri said. “A note with nothing more to back it? It could be an attempt just to get us wasting time on this while some other plot is afoot, or even some prank or payback attempt.”

“My first thought as well, were it not for the fact that my study was sealed when I left it and when I returned. Whoever left that note either has magic or stealth sufficient to leave me without a clue as to his or her identity,” Nova straightened a little. “And your majesty, I'm nearly never without a clue.”

 

Anri sighed. “Well. I suppose I'll have to look into that note, too, then. I'm still not sure we're not just being a little too paranoid after dealing with Darksol and his tricks for so long. I mean, it's not like Alef and the others are out there swooping down on the citizenry and carrying them back to their evil lair.”

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

Amon swooped down on the woman and lifted her up with ease, intending to carry her back to Diane. A hand clamped over the woman's mouth kept her from screaming, but she struggled futilely against the birdwoman's strength regardless. Amon knew she didn't have to worry, though; it was only a short flight, two streets over. She saw the flash of pink hair, a glimpse of an outrageous outfit, and she hit the ground seconds later, releasing her payload dazed but unhurt.

“Mitula's smallclothes, Amon, you actually did it!” Diane laughed. “I was only half-serious, but you went ahead and did it anyway!”

“I gave my word I would do as you say on this outing. I always...” Amon looked away for a moment. “...keep my word.”

“What's going on? Who are you?” the woman babbled, looking from Amon to Diane, and back again. There was fear on her face.

“Easy, I asked Amon there to fly up and fly back with the first fine slut she could, and she didn't disappoint,” Diane says, sauntering forward. “It's for a good cause. I'm going to give her a basic example on seduction.”

“I'm not...! You can't be...” the woman sputtered, but Diane's gaze caught her eyes and she stopped speaking. Amon could hear her breathing remain fast as the elf approached, but her keen eyes saw it was no longer because of fear. Desire was slowly spreading over the woman's face even as Diane reached her and plunged her tongue inside of her mouth, the elf's hands roaming freely over and under the plain clothes of an honest work-woman. The woman, for her part, did nothing but stand there and gently accept these advances. Amon thought she looked lost in a dream, and wondered if she had looked the same when Diane first came to her. That dreamy look remained even as Diane released her, the woman taking a few dizzy steps back with a small smile on her face.

“See Amon, the key is assertion. I know that, given a chance, every woman in the world wants to fuck me. I just take away their excuses to not indulge,” Diane grinned. “Now, I don't think every woman in the world wants to fuck you, you're not me, after all, but I'd say most would. 90%, in fact! You are strong, you've got a stoic allure, and you are one hot as fuck bird! So remember that the chances are high that no matter what the lady in front of you says, she wants you badly on a deep, primal level. Stare into her eyes. Make all your movements slow and deliberate, so she knows exactly what you want. Then...well, I've shown you many times what to do when your hands are actually on her.”

Diane laughed again and smacked Amon's victim on the butt. “As for you, go to the mansion on the south end of the Old Road and present yourself to the Mistress there. Tell her Diane sent you. She'll know what I mean.” Diane looked into the woman's eyes one last time. “I'll reward you GREATLY if you do.”

The woman sighed, gulped, nodded, and ran off to do as Diane commanded. Diane strode towards Amon and smacked her ass as well. “Come on, bird-slut. I want to see how you manage.”

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

The Inn of the Calling Conch was located well within the city's merchant quarter, which gave it a nice balance of clientele, as opposed to the poor and sometimes ragged lot that dwelt in the city's working areas, or the all-together too well-dressed and haughty nobles that frequented the Regal District. Diane had become well acquainted with the city's many inns, and she knew this one to be the best choice to see Amon's training in action. The people here wouldn't be wealthy enough that a dramatic incident could cause a scene that might cause Alef to get angry, and they were well-fed and clean enough to be attractive. Diane pushed Amon through the doorway and then found a seat and some ale to watch.

Amon wandered over to the bar at first, ordering and drinking an ale in quick succession, before straightening up and letting her eyes slowly play over the crowd. Diane tried to follow her gaze, wondering who she would pick. Would it be one of the serving wenches? There were a few in here that Diane herself intended to pay a visit to at some point. There was a fox-woman in armor in the corner, probably an adventurer, maybe a mercenary. Would she go after her and play the 'fellow warrior' card? Oh, there was a knockout elf in a silk dress chatting with a kyantol friend at a hearth-side table. Maybe she'd talk to both and-

Amon was on the move, getting up from her seat and striding with purpose across the tavern-room floor towards a human woman with long, auburn hair done into a long braid down her back. She was clad in simple, but well-kept clothes, and had a broom in her hand...one of the tavern's help. Diane looked her over for a moment. Pretty face, nice, tiny bust...not as showy as the serving girls, but attractive. Diane nodded to herself, pleased with Amon. She herself wouldn't have paid as much attention to the demure girl cleaning in the background of this scene, despite how naturally pretty she was. Not a bad pick at all, and Diane could appreciate a partner who had an eye for gems that Diane herself might have missed.

Amon reached out and leaned on the tavern wall with one arm in front of the woman, her other hand on her own hip as she spoke. Diane's ears strained to hear over the tavern's din. It was no use, it was simply too loud. Whatever Amon said seemed to have had an effect though, as the woman blushed and looked around, muttering something that Diane could only tell was in an embarrassed tone. Amon spoke again, this time for a long while, her eyes never leaving the woman's as she made a few gestures with her free hand, before reaching out and taking one of the lady's wrists. She spoke again, and the broom dropped to the floor, the lady's hand gently guided to Amon's exposed abs, which the lady touched with some amazement. Diane saw Amon wink, and guide that hand up under her chestpiece for just a moment, before leading her up the inn stairs. Diane couldn't have been prouder.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

“Here, you can feel them if you want,” Amon had said, guiding the woman she had just met's hand to her abdomen. Her name was Melissa, she worked here at the inn doing a little bit of everything, and Amon was absolutely amazed at how easy it was to charm her. She'd given the excuses Diane said she would...she wasn't into women, bird people weren't her type, all those foolish lies that women sometimes deceived and hurt themselves with. Amon had simply asked if she had ever tried any of those things, and the answer was no. Amon then regaled her with some embellished tales of both love and war, Melissa expressing astonishment at her tales, then at her physique, which was the opportunity Amon had been waiting for. Melissa's hand traced lightly over Amon's taut stomach, and Amon winked as she slid that hand up for just a moment, before whispering a few last words and an offer she didn't refuse.

Minutes later, Amon was plunging her fingers into Melissa's pussy, her small tongue flickering on her nipple, while the young maid moaned and whispered her name and gasped in shocked delight at the unexpected joy that soft, downy fingers could bring to her. Amon's other hand reached out and grasped the woman's breast, gently at first, then roughly as she grew more energetic, more sure of herself. Was this what Diane had felt when she had seduced her? The glow, the rush of delight at making another person entirely focused on you, on the pleasure you were giving them? There was no exchange here, Melissa wouldn't know what to do to Amon even if she let up her ministrations, but Amon found she was okay with that. It was an entirely new sort of pleasure just to dominate someone with pleasure, to know that she was changing this woman's entire understanding of the world with nothing but her fingers and tongue.

The bed squeaked again and again as Melissa's hands slid under Amon's wings to clutch her back. Amon removed her fingers and began grinding her thigh against the woman's needy slit, iron muscle pressing soft down hard against delicate folds.

“You're so...strong...” Melissa breathed, her hands wandering all over Amon's body and only finding two very pleasant spots of softness.

“One of the strongest,” Amon grunted in agreement, both of her hands working on her partner's breasts now. “And the most skilled.”

“Ye-EES!” Melissa agreed, grabbing the blankets of the bed and crunching them up in her passion. “Don't stop, don't stop, don't stop!”

Amon didn't even dignify that with a response. As if she would stop now. Now, after everything she'd done to be at this point, at this pleasure. She only let out a small grunt as she pushed on Melissa's core with all the strength she had. Melissa's response was far more vocal. Amon smiled to herself...but she didn't stop. Oh no. She didn't stop until Melissa passed out from exhaustion.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

An hour later, Amon exited the inn and found Diane waiting for her, a big smile on her face.

“I'm a little shocked, birdie. Didn't know you had it in ya to score on your first try. Guess you had a really awesome teacher, eh?” Diane asked, hands on her hips.

“I learned from the best,” Amon said with an exhilarated smile, one of her hands going to stroke Diane's thigh. Diane laughed.

“Finally getting into the swing of things, eh? Well, don't rest easy, because I've got a lot more training and a lot more plans for you, bir...Amon.”

“Good,” Amon's eyes shimmered in the fading sunlight, an eagerness there that wasn't present before. For the pleasure that Diane gave her, she had been willing to give up Balbaroy, give up on the life she had spent years creating with him, but she had not been able to escape the guilt of it. But for this new sensation, this new delight she had just experienced of being as Diane was, the one to lead, to take, to give such delight...now there was no guilt in her mind. She could not ever regret giving something, anything up for something this wonderful, this thrilling. She felt more alive than she ever had before.

“I can't wait to use everything you can teach me.”

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

Alef flipped the pages of her spellbook and smiled toothily to herself. It had taken days of experimentation and study, but she had finally managed to lay out a functional groundwork for the magic she had developed from study of Narsha's growing, altered abilities. Though the selection of spells she had managed to create from her experiments were few in number for now, she was certain that with the aid of her Demon Rod and her own magical skill, it would soon grow to be a worthy addition to her arsenal of arcana. The spells she had outlined could infuse people bonded to her with small pieces of her essence, allowing her to further cement her hold over servants, and bestow magical powers such as she herself wielded. Though it was still in theory, Alef was fairly certain she could even combine it with more ancient, forbidden magics to drastically alter a person's body, enhancing or molding it as she saw fit.

She was certain she could even use it to sire daughters, with a few modifications to a particular ritual.

“After all,” Alef grinned, “even if I plan to live forever...all good monarchies must establish a bloodline.”

With these new spells, Alef intended to further bolster her minions and her hold over them. Considering just how many potential enemies she would probably make when she revealed her plans and took her place as Rune's newest monarch, it was imperative that those loyal to her were able to protect her from many times their number in foes. At the very least, if the magic failed to be that useful in such a role, she thought it would be an amusing and useful tool to have for playing with her pets.

All of this, however, was just daydreaming until she put it into practice, and for that she needed someone to test her magic on. Luckily, she knew exactly who would be all too happy to volunteer.

“Tao!” Alef called out. “I have a great honor to bestow upon you...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long, and sorry to say that after this point, chapters will take a long, long time to be written. I am super slow at writing! Super duper slow! But if it helps any, you don't need to worry about me giving this up at any point; I am committed to finishing!


	10. Chapter 10

 

Alef waited in her chambers within the mansion, the strong smell of incense wafting through the air, even stronger to her beastfolk sense of smell. Her bed was large, overly so in order to accommodate the increasing number of partners she invited...or more often, commanded, to join her in it these days. Tonight, it was only intended for one other woman, though: the future mother of Alef's offspring.

The foxling spread her arms over the cushions to either side of her and leaned back, breathing in the air with a satisfied smile. All the preparations for the ritual were complete. The black candles were burning at the four corners of the bed. The two braziers to either side burned incense imbued with fairy powder. The runic circle was inscribed around the bed and already enchanted, just waiting for a trigger. Waiting, like Alef herself, for her first and foremost servant. 

Alef licked her teeth in anticipation. She was clad not in her usual robes, but in a diaphanous shroud set with sparkling gems that left little to the imagination. Another 'gift' from the former owner of the mansion, now one of her many servants. Alef had decided her most loyal slave had earned a reward, one beyond even the great honor she was to receive as her test breeder. Besides, she enjoyed looking nice once in a while.

The double door to the chamber opened, and for a moment, all Alef could see was the silhouette of a curvaceous elf in tight-fitting leather. She grinned toothily.

“Mistress, I have answered your call,” Tao said, entering the bedchamber and almost dropping to a knee before she caught sight of Alef on display. Despite her discipline and overwhelming desire to serve her mistress faithfully, Tao froze for a moment at the spectacular sight. Alef smiled and beckoned.

“It's okay, Tao,” Alef crooned. “Tonight...just for tonight...you don't have to restrain yourself. I am going to give you exactly what you've always wanted.”

Alef beckoned and Tao got to her feet, climbing onto the bed almost with reverence, the cape she wore falling off her to leave her usual tight-fitting, revealing attire. Alef licked her lips at that sight, her desire growing steadily within her at the sight of Tao's breasts held fast by black leather, the smooth skin of her ass and thighs, the vibrant pink of her hair bound up over her head...

“Mistress...” Tao murmured, reaching her on the bed and reaching out for her, but hesitating, looking to her goddess for permission.

“Go ahead, my pet.” Alef's eyes simmered with lust. “Undress me. Do not just serve me tonight...make _love_ to me.” Alef smiled, sinfully. “I so command it.”

Tao wasted no time in doing so, her nimble fingers sliding over the thin fabric and gently removing it. Gems and silks peeled away from the foxling, Alef running her hands over her body as Tao unveiled it. Her hands paused at her breasts, holding up the two mammaries to Tao's face. The elf lowered her head to the valley between them, and smothered herself in her beloved owner's fur for a glorious moment, coming up for air with a satisfied sigh. Alef leaned forward to silence her with a fierce kiss, her tongue running over Tao's lips before meeting her lover's in intimate combat. Tao leaned into the kiss, reaching out and grasping one of Alef's hands to bring it to her breast. Alef slid her hand under the tight leather and grasped the flesh there, eliciting a cry of delight from Tao. Alef's other hand sought for the clasps that held Tao's garment together for a moment, then stopped, making a mystic pass in the air instead. Instantly all of the clasps on Tao's outfit were undone at once, leaving them easy prey for Alef to remove.

“Mistress...” Tao sighed, leaning back and pulling down her top, letting her increased breasts free. Alef immediately took one of her nipples into her mouth, sucking hard enough to get another shriek of pleasure from Tao. Together the hands of both women succeeded in pulling off the rest of Tao's outfit in short order, flinging it across the room with abandon as passion began to claim the pair. Alef released Tao and leaned back against her pillows, making a motion with her hand that Tao knew only too well. Smiling with glee, Tao leaned over Alef to kiss her again, this time deeply, worshipful. When the kiss was done, her lips trailed down her neck, down her breasts, down her stomach, and finally to her waiting slit. Tao wasted no time in diving in, her tongue pleasuring her mistress as she had practiced on woman after woman. Alef moaned in delight, holding Tao's head fast to her as she exulted in her servant's particular brand of worship.

“Tao...Tao...” Alef murmured, running her hands through the end of her ponytail. “Let me...ah! Let me tell you of the honor...oh...you are here for...Don't stop!”

Tao obeyed, returning right to her ministrations after looking up for just a moment. Alef continued on.

“The first... yes, part of your reward....is obvious, isn't it?” Alef whispered, delicately fingered the elf's ears. “Tonight...tonight we are not bound by position, but by love, as we first were. Tonight we do not fuck, but make love. You may request, and you may expect, as much as you wish. But your reward, for being my first and greatest servant, for earning my undying love...will be so much more than that, my pet. My darling.”

Alef paused her speech, her panting growing louder and louder as Tao's tongue brought her closer and closer to climax in her best time yet. Her hands, tipped with the beastfolk claws that were her heritage, tore the silk sheets she bunched up within them. Even so, she tried to continue, to suppress her pleasures, some part of her finding enjoyment in attempting to put off the inevitable.

“You...ah...you are the one I have entrusted with the most important task I have ever given one of my slaves, the most important I ever shall,” Alef whispered as she gently caressed the elf's head. “You will test the magic I've developed for establishing my royal line. For creating the perfect world. You will join with me more intimately than any other woman has ever done so before.”

Tao's tongue slowed a bit as her mind worked through her mistresses' words, eagerly anticipating her command even as she pleasured her. Alef continued. “Our essences will merge, our bodies will dance, and a little piece of both of us...will create something new,” Alef purred. “Do you understand...ah! Do you understand now, Tao?”

“I don't need to understand, Mistress,” Tao murmured, still licking. “I need only obey.”

“True. But I _want_ you to understa-” Alef was cut off as Tao began sucking her clit, finally triggering her orgasm and sending her howling unintelligibly to the ceiling. Throughout the halls of the manor, the other slaves and thralls of Alef paused in their various debauched pairings and listened to their Mistress' cry of lust. Then they resumed the writhing of flesh on flesh that was characteristic for the once dignified manor these days. For her part, Alef took a moment to catch her breath before looking down onto her favored slave, Tao's face nestled between her legs, though no longer active.

“Tao, this magic I've created will let me conceive with you. You shall be pregnant with our baby. You're going to carry the first of my daughters, birth her, raise her...Out of all my slaves, only you are worthy for this Tao!” Alef declared. “Out of all my slaves, only you have enough devotion and enough strength that I think you worthy of the honor of being first mother of a goddess's dynasty!”

“M-me?” Tao whispered, her magically installed sultry confidence shaking for a moment as her reason for being told her she was to carry her child, be a mother to her. Love and desire alike raged like fire in her eyes as she stared at Alef. “I...I am not worthy...”

“I say you are!" Alef decreed firmly, an authority greater than any born mortal turning her words to undeniable fact. "Are you saying I am wrong?” A hint of playful anger...Tao shuddered and shook her head.

“No, no, of course not, it's just...”

“Tao, my lovely pet, remember what you said earlier. You need only obey,” Alef said, positioning herself on the bed so she was facing Tao on all fours. She grinned toothily. "Is there one you believe I should choose for this over you? Your sister, perhaps?”

“No!” Tao's denial was surprisingly iron even to Alef. “That wench is only worthy to sate your most base of lusts and be entertainment for you. Your daughter...she must be raised to worship you!”

“Oh, then,” Alef purred, liking this sudden jealous side to her first slave. “Perhaps Narsha? Or Amon?”

“Narsha...she is loyal, but her wildness and abandon...she could not devote herself to your child as needed," Tao whispered. “Amon is marvelous already, and you shall perfect her soon, but she is still too new...And the noble ladies you have accumulated...they can't possibly protect your children, or train them to be powerful.”

“Then do you see why it has to be you?” Alef asked, licking her lips. “But make no mistake. I prove that it can only be you, solely so you will accept this honor. But my reason, the true reason, is simply because you deserve it, because you have loved me best and longest, and because I love you most of all. Accept my gift, Tao. You have served me the best out of all my slaves. You are worthy of more. Accept your new station.”

“Yes, Mistress,” Tao whispered, tears of joy glistening in her eyes. Images of the future danced in her spell-molded brain, images of her heavy with her Mistress' children, creating life with Alef over and over again for the rest of her life...images of her cradling half-elf half-beastfolk daughters, nursing them, holding them...and when they were old enough, raising them to be the new royalty of the world.

While Tao's eyes went distant, Alef realized the time had come. She whispered words of magic to the air, the braziers flaring with sudden fire, and pounced onto her slave-lover. Caught by surprise and snapped out of her reverie, Tao was nonetheless eager to return her Mistress' affections, her tongue meeting hers with renewed vigor while Alef's arms encircled and held her tight. This was not to be an ordinary coupling, however; the magic Alef had so carefully woven before was now activated, motes of light dancing around the two. Tao and Alef were both immediately struck with a feeling of amazing warmth. Their own movements stopped as the magic broke down the boundaries between their essences.

Every physical sensation seemed magnified a hundredfold to Alef, and for a moment it was enough to simply hold Tao, feel every patch of her bare skin against her fur, then feel her fur on her bare skin through the spell's connection. Alef felt the magic trace over each of their bodies, invisible fingers that left deliciously warm trails of pleasure behind. Tao was completely lost to the spell's power, her eyes closed, mouth agape as a single long, soft moan escaped her lips. With a start, Alef realized she too was moaning, though her eyes were quite open. Then for a moment she felt herself in two bodies, the spell making two one for just a moment...then it ended, and Tao and Alef fell back from one another. Tao and Alef sat up shakily, trembling from the pleasure they had just received.

“Was that it, Mistress? Am I...Am I...” Tao trailed off. Alef smiled.

“Not yet, love. That part of the spell created the spark of life, mixed and blended our essences...but I still have to put it in the right place with the spell's second part,” Alef explained. Tao blinked.

“Second part?” she asked. Alef grinned, then opened wide, her tongue elongating until it was the length of her forearm. Tao only got a breath of anticipation out before Alef's tongue plunged into her slit, writhing and wriggling and causing the elf to scream in delight. As she thrashed in lust and joy, Alef's enchanted tongue dove deep into her depths, penetrating all the way to her womb, before placing its precious cargo gently within. On the very tip of the tongue was a spark of magic that floated off and attached to Tao's womb, transforming rapidly into an egg already dividing.

Tao had no knowledge of the specifics, but even through the haze of desire and pleasure she was writhing under, she was vaguely aware that something had changed. A blissful smile spread across her face as she realized she was now carrying what would become her mistress' child. Their child. The first of countless more. That thought almost made her forget the incredible sensations Alef's new tongue was causing as it thrust and writhed within her. Almost.

Tao hit her peak with a loud scream of “Yeeeeeeeeesss!”

For the second time that night, all the denizens of Alef's pleasure palace paused in whatever they were doing, and listened to the sound of the leather-clad mage serve their Mistress. It was the first of many such cries to echo through the mansion halls that night.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

Alef had had a throne brought in and set up for her in the mansion's main hall. A throne was not really a throne without a country to rule behind it, of course, but she would have one of those soon enough, and she thought it would do to practice a bit beforehand. Though really, it was mainly because holding court over a bevy of half-naked lesbians with herself draped over the throne in robes as regal as they were revealing turned her on immensely. Tao stood at attention by her side, clad in her usual get up, looking as cold, cruel, and sexy as ever. Two rows of former nobility kneeled to either side of her throne, their knees just touching the red carpet that led up to her. The noblewomen all wore two thin straps of tight cloth that mimicked a sling bikini, the pale flesh that was once jealously hidden from all onlookers now put on brazen display for her pleasure. Alef noted with some glee that quite a few of her 'courtiers' were women of status that had to make excuses to come here tonight. A duchess here was supposed to be taking a trip to the country. A baroness there was supposed to be ill. In truth, Alef and her servants had inspired such lust in them that they lied to everyone they knew, even their most beloved ones and trusted confidants, in order to take part in the pleasure Alef had promised them.

The Demon Rod pulsed gently as it lay across Alef's lap, the beastfolk smiling. They had all shed expensive dresses, gorgeous jewelry, and so many layers of clothes to present their bodies to her tonight. She had seen it all earlier, given the command for all these highborn ladies to undress each other, then help each other with their new uniforms. She had, of course, used the Demon Rod to prompt some of them to give each other a caress here, a kiss there...planting the seeds of lust she would nurture until they blossomed into a frenzy of sexual activity later.

All that was for later, though. She had summoned her court for a very special event tonight: the formal induction of a very important new member.

“Bring forth the supplicants!”

Movement in the shadows at the far end of the hall heralded the slow procession of two very familiar figures to Alef down the carpet towards her. Diane's half-shaved head and tattooed body was unmistakable as she stroke down the carpet with a smile of triumph on her face. Hanging from her arm, blushing at the sight before her even as her eyes lingered on exposed flesh, was Amon. Diane was wearing her 'new' normal clothes, but had doubled her piercings for the occasion, a veritable treasury of gold and precious stones adorning her form. Amon, for her part, was wearing a simple white robe, elegant and pure.

Alef couldn't wait to tear it off of her.

Diane and Amon stopped in front of Alef, and at a glance from Tao, kneeled. Alef took the Demon Rod in hand and stood, looking over the two in approval.

“This woman wishes to enter my service?” Alef asked, tilting her head up as she looked at Amon, who meekly kept her eyes to the floor. “To pledge her body, mind, soul, and sword to my will as long as she lives? To indulge in the myriad pleasures I will offer as rewards to those who serve me well? To live the rest of her life as a well-kept slave, never being burdened by freedom ever again?”

“Fuck yeah she does,” Diane replied, and there was no mistaking the eagerness in her eyes. “She's here to take the final fuck step, to be bound to you and me as her mistresses in all things. She's gonna fight, fuck, and fly at our command, sh-”

“I was not talking to you, Diane,” Alef said, tone ice. Diane's attitude problem was beginning to cease its amusement if she thought to interrupt Alef during ceremony. “You forget your place.”

“No fun,” Diane grumbled, making a face as she crossed her arms and looked down. A tremble of anger shot through Alef, but she suppressed it quickly. What had once been an amusing joke, the slave who obediently rebelled and questioned authority exactly as she was told to, was now simply tiresome. Diane had been funny before Alef's ambitions had begun to show fruit...now that her reign was beginning, however, the humor was gone. There was no place for an irreverent hooligan in the court of a goddess. Clearly Diane's mental conditioning needed a tune up. Alef would attend to that, as well, this night. But for now, her focus was on Amon, an attention that the feathered woman had more than earned.

“Amon, look up, look into my eyes, and tell me your desires,” Alef commanded, tapping the bottom end of the rod against the floor as she did so. Amon looked up with something akin to terror, mixed with deep lust.

“I...” Amon started, looking over to Diane for a moment. The elf had finally fallen silent, however. The birdwoman turned back to Alef. “I want to...I want to serve you, Alef! I want to feel the pleasure that Diane has told me about, the greater lusts that only you can bestow on me! I want to forget everything else, my husband, the war, my home...I want to just fuck forever!”

Alef grinned and reached out, cupping Amon's chin and looking at her face. “Will you throw everything else away for me? Even your former self? Will you allow me to mold you into my own vision of you, perfect and perverse?”

“Yesss...” Amon sighed, rubbing her cheek against Alef's hand. “Anything. Just...just give me what Diane promised. Give me what she let me taste of. Finish what she started when she began my training all those days ago.”

Alef listened carefully to Amon's words, and in that moment she made up her mind exactly what to do.

“Then I accept you into my service,” Alef said, slamming the end of her Demon Rod into the floor and lifting it up with a sudden motion. Amon let out a surprised squawk as she floated into the air, magic swirling around her. “Prepare yourself! The changes I will bring to you will be glorious!”

Alef began summoning the power of the Demon Rod even as Amon went limp, a pleasant gasp escaping her beak. Every nerve in Amon's body felt pleasantly tingly as Alef went to work on her. The bodily changes came first, as it was far simpler to affect that than the complex workings of the mind. Muscles began to ripple and bulge across Amon's athletic form. Amon was a warrior, she had always been physically fit, but before she had been lithe, slim, her fighting style relying on fast and agile movement rather than raw physical power. As raw magic pumped through her system, muscles that had once been lean and toned began to swell in mass and size. The light robe that Amon had worn began to split and tear in places as her physical form grew. Amon let out a low moan as she felt her body grow and expand. Unexpectedly, two small nubs on either side of her shoulders under her wings blossomed, sprouting out into an additional two sets of wings underneath her original pair, additional lifting power needed for her new bulk. Those original wings themselves grew several times larger for this very same reason.

When the spell ended, the robe was in tatters and Amon had gained a foot in height, and many pounds of raw muscle. Her physique was now that of a female bodybuilder, the curve of corded muscles now visible everywhere.

The mind was the next thing to change. Alef didn't bother with memories this time; there was no need to. Diane had caught this bird willingly, albeit with the powerful magic Alef had installed into her. The only thing really that needed changing were the last lingering doubts she had about her new lifestyle, and the pesky things like remorse and compassion that might hinder her future work as a tool of her Goddess. And even then, there was little to do. What doubts Amon still had at this point were insubstantial, frail and wispy cobwebs of the mind. What remorse she had was barely anything greater, for that matter...it was the remorse of one who had lost things they enjoyed and valued, but was not in the slightest bit dismayed over it, for that loss had gained them ffare better rewards. These bits of doubt and remorse were nothing to Alef; Amon would never act on them, never even consider doing so, thanks to the joys of her new life...but Alef was kind and generous, so she cleaned these bits from Amon's mind, nonetheless. They would never cause Alef trouble, but their removal would still allow Amon greater happiness, and Alef was good to those who served her. It was easier to melt them away than even expected, too...Amon herself wanted them gone, was exhausted of carrying worries about her fellow Force members, when she just wanted to enjoy her new life. Alef only had to gently pull, and Amon gave away those parts of herself forever.

The compassion, though...Alef paused before she destroyed this, and decided to allow Amon to keep it. It would be foolish to discard, Alef realized. Amon recognized the unparalleled and irresistible joys of the life Alef offered her followers. Compassion would compel Amon, compel her strongly, to bring more women into Alef's flock, so they, too, could share this happiness.

That was all that needed to be removed. But there were also things to add.

Since being 'trained' by Diane, the birdwoman had been far more timid than usual, uncertain how to proceed unless given orders by the punkish archer. Yet such a timid attitude was a waste of potential! Amon had been seduced, taken naturally, without the need for Alef to change her. Amon knew firsthand the incomparable and irresistible joys of submission, of being taken by and servicing a powerful mistress. Yet she also had a natural talent for the art of that capture...and even just that one recent successful hunt had awakened a deep, primal taste and yearning for it. The natural talent and hunger of a born mistress, and the experience and wisdom of a broken, adoring slave...yes, Amon could be one of the finest servants Alef would ever take.

But she had been originally taken by Diane, and chained to the idea of subservience to her, and that had to change, if Amon was to reach her full potential as Alef's hunting falcon. She must be made to recognize her own talents, to see that she was herself no less than Diane.

Alef searched around in Amon's brain, found the parts of her that dealt with aggressiveness and confidence, and boosted them immensely, doing the same for her sex drive for good measure. Away went the shackles in her mind with Diane's name engraved in them...now Amon would see that Diane was only the woman who had brought her in, not inherently superior. With that, it all finished.

Amon's talons caught the floor again with a clatter of nail on stone, the birdwoman unstably swaying in place for a moment as the changes took hold, became permanent. Alef looked Amon up and down in satisfaction, then spoke.

“Servants, garb Amon in more fitting attire now that she is one of us,” Alef ordered, snapping her fingers. Her lip curled in a grin. “...Of course you'll need to undress her, first.”

The handmaidens all around her knew very well what she meant by that, several pale and manicured hands reaching out to tear the ripped robe off of Amon's body as Alef's servants clustered around her to give her the pleasure she had asked for. A woman with huge, done-up blonde hair reached out and plunged her tongue into Amon's mouth, a once haughty duchess now lusting for the love of a commoner. The delicate hands of a kyantol lady who was also a minister in Anri's court ripped a piece of Amon's robe off in order to grasp and feel the feathered breasts beneath it. With barely contained eagerness, she lowered her canine-like mouth and began to suck. Alef noted with some amusement that it was a catfolk who began licking and sucking on Amon's vagina, a pussy eating pussy. Her furred hands caressed and held Amon's ass as she did so.

While those lucky three kept Amon busy, the others handily removed the shards of clothing from the birdwoman, most pausing at one time or another to give her new muscles an exploratory caress or kiss. Amon was now completely naked in front of Alef, and both were perfectly fine with that. Alef wasn't even sure Amon realized her clothes were gone yet; she was eagerly kissing the duchess, holding her head with one hand while the other stroked the hair of the cat-woman pleasuring her. Alef allowed them a minute more, mainly to give Tao a good show and make Diane impatient. At last, she snapped her fingers and the three women pulled back, with one last longing look and a sultry caress.

“Well, Amon? How do you feel?” Alef asked. Amon brought one of her arms up and flexed it experimentally, nodding with satisfaction at the muscles that bulged to life there.

“I feel excellent, My Lady,” Amon answered with satisfaction, flexing each of her new muscles in turn. “I feel stronger...more powerful...more sexy than I ever have before. Truly, you have blessed me with a new life!”

“Then please, allow your fellow servants to present your new outfit,” Alef said, gesturing. The same handmaidens that had stripped and pleasured her now hastened to bring the new clothes picked out for Amon. The catfolk knelt and pulled a golden loincloth over Amon's nethers. The kyantol fastened a golden chainmail bikini that amounted to little more than two small gold pasties over her breasts. The duchess smelled her feathers with a smile, as she put on the finishing touch... a collar like Tao's, black leather with spikes, though these spikes were gold to match the rest of her, rather than Tao's silver. Amon now had an outfit that would keep her body on display for Alef anytime she felt like viewing it, a feathered and muscled amazon with a hint of savage passion behind it all.

“Amon, you look fuckin' amazing,” Diane breathed, lust clear in her eyes. “When I get you alone, I'm gonna-”

Amon cleared her throat and spoke loudly, cutting her 'mentor' off. “Alef, I have a request for you, though I feel unworthy to ask it.”

“Speak,” Alef said, tilting her head with interest. Amon's small tongue flicked out of her mouth for a moment.

“I...I want to claim Diane as my mate,” she stated, turning to Diane and fixing her with a stare of almost rabid desire. “I want you to make me her mistress, so that she will be mine as well as yours. I want to be able to ravage her anytime I desire, unless you wish her for yourself that day.”

“Hey! What the fuck!? You can't do that, I'm supposed to be your-” Diane protested, fury and surprise lighting up her features. Alef silenced her with a wave, then gave her reply.

“I greatly approve, Amon. Diane will be yours to do with as you see fit. She will obey you in all things and be slave to your will, the only higher authority to her being, of course, me. You must simply tame her, right now, that we may witness your worthiness of this gift.” Alef waved a hand, and Diane floated over to Amon, still sputtering protests...until Amon locked eyes with her.

Just as Diane seduced Amon with her magic hunter's stare, so did Amon crumble Diane's will with hers. Amon's eyes _burned_ with desire, with lust, and with authority. Her gaze was unflinching steel, a penetrating look of a predator to whom all others are prey. When she looked into those avian eyes, those eyes of primal authority, Diane's protests failed, her temper cooled, her mouth fell silent. A defeated whimper was all that escaped her throat, a limping little whine as the proud, arrogant seductress was instantly hunted, caught, and caged within a greater being's eyes.

"Be proud of this moment," Alef whispered to Diane, low, so that only she, Amon, and the elf could hear. "This, your utter surrender and enslavement to Amon, is the greatest achievement of your life, Diane. Look upon the perfection that has taken you so utterly. Know that it was you who sculpted your captor...your honor to have forged a mistress so great that even you are helpless before her."

Amon stepped back, and cleared her throat. “If you would take her, Amon, then announce to the world that you do so as your slave first and your wife second, and that you shall likewise be first and _greatly_ foremost her mistress, and second her wife. Give Diane your vow of marriage...and the two of you will share lusts that would drive half the world mad!” Alef demanded, eyes gleaming at the scenario she had unknowingly wrought. It looked like bringing Amon to meet her true potential had solved the issue of Diane quite tidily. 

“Diane,” Amon growled, grabbing her roughly by the shoulders. “You brought me into this new world, and this is my reward to you. I will fuck you as hard as I can every night that I can. I will fly new women to you, and together we will fuck them all. But you will do as I say, understand? You are _my_ bitch now, _my_ slut, and if you use those titles for me again, I will place you in a chastity belt that has no key. This is my vow to you, my beloved!”

Diane whimpered a little in response, and tried, in a last, desperate bid for her freedom, to look away. Amon's eyes gleamed in the light of the braziers, and held her fast effortlessly.

“I'm doing exactly as you made me promise...exactly as you made me to do...just not in the way you expected,” the birdwoman said. Then she threw Diane down to the carpet and pounced on top of her, hands and fingers already working towards a wedding-night as Alef shouted over the din:

“Thus I bind you together! In my eyes, the eyes of your goddess, you are mistress and slave, wife and wife! Now, help them, handmaidens!”

The handmaidens lowered themselves to the floor and crawled towards Amon and Diane, mouths and hands caressing every part of those two lovers as Alef motioned to Tao. With a pleased smirk, Tao sauntered over to Alef and threw open her cloak, allowing the foxling to draw her into her lap and run her hands over her flesh. Alef lowered her mouth to the exposed parts of Tao's breasts as one hand lingered over her belly, already sensing the new life growing there.

Amon let out a shrill cry of orgasm as her initiation night began, Diane panting mindlessly underneath her.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

The ritual chamber used to be a sealed storage room, just as Anri's laboratory used to be part of the castle dungeons. The castle had never needed a ritual chamber or a magical laboratory before because it had never in its long history had a wizardess for a monarch before. As Anri looked around the reconstructed room, though, she nodded satisfactorily. It was no Manarinan research chamber, but it was reinforced, sturdy, and had enough runes carved into the stone to make anything she cast here have the magical oomph of several mages behind it.

Her only regret was that the chamber's first spell was to be a divination seeking out conspiracy rather than a spell to manipulate the weather for crops, or something similar that would help her people in ways not rooted in conflict. Sometimes it seemed like there would always be some crisis for her to deal with.

Anri sighed and began casting. There was no point in melancholy, and the sooner she got this done, the sooner she could go back to more pleasant tasks. The magic came to her easily, twisting around her fingertips as she wove it with the aid of the runes laid into the chamber. Drawing on her power and the power imbued in the chamber, Anri began a low chant, murmuring the ancient words she was taught so long ago. Ritual magic was slow, a careful process that required some discipline and attention. The more playful part of Anri's mind likened it to certain nights with Mae, long periods of pleasant tension carefully manipulated by skilled hands and soft words, all the while energy throbbing within the depths of their bodies. It was a little difficult to concentrate for such a long period with that idea stuck in her brain, but magic of any sort was oddly pleasurable for Anri. The feeling of power building within your body for a sudden release always left her a little tingly.

The chanting and mana-weaving went on for almost an hour before everything reached a peak, and Anri began issuing commands to the magic she had summoned. A hazy ball of light was forming at the center of the chamber as she spoke.

“Ancient spirits! Ancient seers! Bind to my command! Hear my plea! Open your great eyes and see!” Anri called. “Is there another force at work in my queendom beyond what I know? Is there something working against me and my own?”

The hazy ball pulsed a little, and a wind picked up within the room, something that Anri knew was not possible without magic, sealed as the chamber was. A voice no more than a whisper greeted her ears.

“Yes...”

Ice gripped the ice-mage's heart and she almost lost control of the spell. Nova was right!

“Who? What?” Anri desperately called out. “Show me!”

The hazy ball pulsed for a moment, then expanded outward, forming a shimmering window that quickly displayed a picture that made Anri's blood run cold. A long, metal rod with bat-wings and a single wicked-looking eye for a headpiece. She immediately knew what it was even before the picture panned back to show Alef holding the artifact. This was not Alef as she had known her, however. This Alef's smile was still playful...but also cruel, her eyes predatory. An air of evil power shrouded her. Alef held the Demon Rod high and laughed in the vision as Anri began to see visions of a conquered Guardiana.

Alef was seated in her father's throne, and Anri herself was seated beside her. Both were garbed in dark, revealing outfits adorned with studs and spikes. Both wore crowns of dark metal, ornate and set with blood-red rubies. As Anri watched, they kissed, a look of unquestioning obedience and love in her own eyes. She saw others there too: Diane, Tao, Amon...even Mae and Khris, all kneeling in submission to their new queens. All of them wore something equally sinister or scandalous, clearly in thrall to the wielder of the Demon Rod.

She saw Mae marshaling new troops in the castle courtyard, formations of beautiful, cruel women in tight-fitting leathers and molded armor. She saw the glee in her lover's face as she barked commands and led those troops into battle...against their allies. She saw these new soldiers of Guardiana pillage Alterone, carrying back riches and women alike for their dark mistresses to enjoy. She saw herself, alongside Tao and Alef, call dark magic to corrupt or consume the mages of Manarina, adding to their ranks. She saw Guardiana expand like a dark cancer across Rune, piling both wealth and war crimes at the feet of the cruel queens who governed it. No, that was not right, for Anri saw clearly she was a thrall even with all her power.

Piling them all at Alef's feet.

She saw subjugated villages turned into little more than brothels for the ever expanding army that carried out Alef's will across the continent. Scantily clad women served scantily clad soldiers as lesbian orgies became the commonplace way for the Guardianian military to relieve stress.

She saw whole towns depopulated as women were taken away to be brainwashed by Tao and her mages, turned into lust-driven warriors seeking only to please their mistresses and themselves.

She saw churches to the Light burnt down or converted to perverse chapels dedicated to the worship of the foxling wizardess who now ruled over the country. Immense statues of Alef were erected in every town, and Anri saw a new generation of priestesses cry out praises to her name even as they sought out clergy of the other gods to “convert.”

Anri saw Amon, hulking and clad in gold chainmail designed to display her body rather than protect her, swoop down on a fleeing kyantol woman and carry her high into the sky. The vision morphed into Diane and Amon sharing that very same woman later that night, her protests lost among moans of pleasure and submission. Anri saw the many servants they had collected in their new home and knew exactly how they had gained them, some part of her also knowing that what she had seen was now an everyday occurrence for them.

And she saw the throne room again, herself draped across Alef's lap, as Tao clung to one of Alef's legs. Both had bellies large with pregnancy, and Anri knew that Alef had somehow been the one to seed them. Alef tiltered her head back and laughed and laughed and laughed, the Demon Rod in her hands shining brighter and brighter with ruby-red light, until the rest of the vision faded away and the only thing left was that accursed staff. The eye on the weapon blinked once...Anri could swear it winked at her. Then it too vanished, the vision ending.

Anri staggered back as the magic faded, her mind whirling with the revelations of a possible future in which she and all she cared about were nothing more than playthings for someone she thought had been a dear friend.

“The Demon Rod...and Alef...” Anri whispered, her mind racing, and immediately picking up an important detail. The spell had shown the Demon Rod first, then only slowly revealed Alef. Magic this powerful made no mistakes, but often required some interpretation...Could it mean that the Demon Rod was the primary antagonist she was to face, and Alef was only an unwitting pawn? Or was she a willing servant of the thing? The Demon Rod was cursed, but to what degree? They had never really explored the nature of its power, they had...

“We gave it to Alef to research,” Anri realized with dawning horror. The personality changes everyone had noted...could the Demon Rod be responsible for all of that? Why? Why would a cursed staff want to change the minds of...

Anri cursed as it struck her that the personality changes they had witnessed might just be symptoms of more drastic changes that were the staff's actual goal. Diane no longer seemed to care about anything save her own pleasure, while previously she had been a stalwart and reliable ally. Tao's life seemed now to center completely around Alef now, who just happened to be the current bearer of the Rod. Amon was cutting off ties with everyone...except for the others that had been changed. The Rod was creating its own force out of Shining Force members. The romantic drama was all incidental, just a way for the Rod to create reasons for its chosen targets to be cut off from the rest of the Shining Force, just an alibi to make them cluster around itself and Alef.

No doubt the scenes of lust she had witnessed wasn't because the staff cared about sex, it was because it was using sex to make its new minions draw on its power, using sex to tempt them into betrayal and acts they would never consider previously. Even if she had loved Amon before, would Diane break up her marriage to indulge in it? Not before, but now...

But whether the staff was doing all this on its own or under Alef's control was academic for the moment. Anri needed to stop it. She needed to get out of here and seal that cursed thing away, or destroy it, or...

Anri caught her breath and ended the spell, summoning her own staff and moving for the door. Before anything else, she needed to confront Alef and...

The ritual chamber door slid open of its own accord, revealing Alef with a very eager grin on her face. The Demon Rod pulsed with a soft ruby light in her hands.

“Hello Anri,” Alef said, stepping into the chamber as the door closed behind her.

“Alef,” Anri replied coolly as she motioned for her staff. The weapon floated easily to her hand. “You have some... impressive timing. I was just about to go find you.”

“Yes, I'm sure you were,” Alef laughed, eyes meeting Anri's with smoky desire in them. “Don't be coy...I can almost smell the magic you just cast in here, and a little birdie told me that you promised Nova to cast some scrying spells concerning...let's say, recent changes around here.”

“If we're being straightforward, I'll ask you directly,” Anri said, eyes locked firmly onto Alef's. “What have you done to our friends? WHY are you doing anything to them at all?”

“Do I really have to spell it out?” Alef laughed. “I turned them into women more fitting to be the concubines I will make them once this land is mine. I'm setting the groundwork for what I want my queendom to be like once I marry you and assume power.” Alef's grip around the Demon Rod tightened. “I'm finally doing what I want to do, not what I have to do. I'm going to finally use all the power I built up to fight Darksol for my benefit, not some nation or king that everyone says I have to obey. Most of all...” Alef grinned toothily. “I'm just having fun.”

“So, what, all that time fighting together meant nothing to you? All we are is a collection of dolls for you to dress up, play with, and then break as you wish?” Anri shouted. Fury was in her eyes, betrayal in her voice. She had trusted this woman, trusted her enough to share her most critical secret, trusted her enough to let her...let her TEACH her...“We're not puppets for you to play with!”

“Oh, Anri, you're much more than that to me," Alef replied, a heartfelt smile of sincere love and affection on her face. "None of this changes the fact that I care about you, all of you. That doesn't change...if anything, the wonderful lives I have planned for each and every one of you is proof of that. You are my comrades, my friends, and my lovers." Her smile became a grin. "But you're also whatever I say you are.”

She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "Did the spell not properly show you what will come to pass? You most of all should be appreciative of what I have in mind, after all...Tao is my right hand woman, but I want _you_ to be my queen.”

“I already have a woman I love,” Anri replied hotly. “I'm not going to let you take her away from me.”

“Who says I'm going to? What a ridiculous notion. Why in the world would I do such a thing?” Alef asked, genuinely taken aback. “I would never separate you two! You're an absolutely darling couple. I want you both, silly girl. You're the one with the royal blood, that's all. You can still have Mae, it's just that you'll be mine, first and foremost.”

“You talk as if you've already won!” Anri said, narrowing her eyes. “We've sparred with magic before, Alef. I always win.”

“It's not me you're going to have to worry about,” Alef cooed, stroking her staff like a pet. “My Demon Rod has allowed me to reach heights of mastery that you haven't dreamed of.”

“Even if you think that's true, Mae will be arriving shortly to escort me back to the throne room,” Anri threatened. “You can't possibly take on both of us together.”

“I won't have to,” Alef said, waving a hand dismissively and nodding her head towards the door. “I've arranged for a little distraction for Mae. But really now, are you quite done? I'd like to get on with the business of making you my slave. Trust me, you're soon going to feel quite silly for having delayed it."

Anri looked at Alef evenly, opening her mouth to speak one last time. She spoke the words of a Freeze spell.


	11. Chapter 11: Branch of Fate

The sound of Mae's hooves clattering against the stone floor echoed across the castle hall as the centaur knight made her way into the deepest recesses of the immense structure. Mae nodded with satisfaction as she trod through the halls. After being breached and laid siege just a scant few years ago, the castle of Guardiana was now fully restored to its former glory, and it was in no small part due to the work she and her lover had put into it.

That phrase still sent a little thrill through her. Her lover. She could still scarcely believe she was having a secret affair with the ruler of her nation! A human, at that! To think that the woman she loved should be the very woman who already had Mae's oath of lifelong fealty. The fact always sent both her heard and heart spinning. Even though they had agreed that any investigation of her formal role would have to wait until the reconstruction was complete, she couldn't help but wonder these days...would they marry? Would she be queen, as well? The thought seemed an impossibility in every way. She, Mae, the knight, the direct and simple woman, a queen! Or would she perhaps simply be Anri's secret lover for the rest of her life? She could live with that, she could happily live with any position that let her stay with Anri...but what about children?

Mae shook her head and smiled. With things going as smoothly as they had been, these were questions she could answer soon enough, and she had a particular task to attend to tonight. A similar thrill went through her as she considered how...naughty she was begin. Anri had asked to remain undisturbed for a few hours while she cast several spells of scrying to make sure no more enemies threatened the kingdom, and Mae was early by a half hour. She fully intended to see if Anri would consent to quitting a little early that night for some frisky fun while everyone thought they were busy with work. The uncharacteristic irresponsibility of her plan gave her a delicious sense of eroticism as she steadily moved towards her goal. She'd show Anri she could be spontaneous and fun, too. Besides, Mae was nearly certain the rituals would accomplish precisely nothing. The kingdom was recovering wonderfully, and aside from some strange drama between their teammates, nothing had gone wrong at all.

Mae was so caught up in daydreaming of the things she intended to do to Anri that she nearly didn't notice Tao until she was on top of her. The shy-maid-turned-seductive-wizardess stepped languidly out from behind a corner, one long leg after the other. Mae saw she was still wearing the black leather thigh-high boots she so loved these days. Presumably the rest of that enticing outfit was under the cloak she wore as she strode towards Mae, a crooked half-smile on her face.

“Tao,” Mae nodded. “I didn't know you were supposed to be down here. Did Anri ask you to help her with the ritual?”

“In a way,” Tao nodded, coming to a stop directly in front of Mae and looking into the centaur's eyes. “Myself and Alef are both here to help Anri.”

“Then why are you out here instead of in the ritual chamber?” Mae asked, frowning. “Is it over already?”

“Alef's helping Anri to finish up with a few loose ends down in there,” Tao said, smiling and fixing Mae with a half-lidded gaze. She reached out and gently stroked the side of Mae's face with a single hand. “They sent me up here to... mmm. Entertain you, while they wrap things up.”

“Entertain me?” Mae frowned. “...but I wasn't supposed to even be down here yet. I was going to surprise Anri...”

“And I wasn't supposed to meet you in the hallway!” Tao said, lifting an eyebrow. “I had been sent to go and fetch you from your post in the war-room and bring you to the royal bedchamber, where I would prepare you most thoroughly for the arrival of both our lovers.” Tao let her hand drift down from the curve of Mae's cheek to her neck, then down to her cloth-covered breast. The general of Guardiana's armies was wearing a simple shirt decorated only with her emblem of rank. After all, there was no need for clunky armor in the depths of Guardiana's most secure structure.

Mae let out a light moan as Tao brushed her nipples through her clothes, her twin peaks hardening in an instant at the expert touch. “Tao...It doesn't feel right without Anri here...”

“Why?” Tao asked, pressing herself against Mae, letting her head rest for a moment against her as she whispered. “We've all tasted each other's pleasures before, Mae. She sent me up here for you. What's holding you back?”

“It just...it doesn't feel right,” Mae repeated, taking a step back from the elf, who looked at her strangely. Finally, she smiled.

“It doesn't feel right?” Tao asked, shrugging her shoulders and letting her cloak fall away to reveal the thong and tight bustier she wore underneath. She stepped forward again, reaching out to grab Mae's hand and drag it across her breast, then slipped it underneath the bustier. Mae couldn't help but gently hold the globe underneath and feel herself flush with heat and desire. “Tell me,” Tao continued. “Does that feel right?”

Tao didn't give Mae much of a chance to respond as she leaned up to kiss her fiercely.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

Spears of ice the size of a full grown man materialized from thin air and hurtled towards Alef, unerringly seeking out their target as Anri invoked the most deadly magic she knew against someone she had trusted implicitly. Alef brought up the Demon Rod, and a crackling sphere of electricity surrounded her, cracking apart and melting the icy shards before they could land. With a wave of her hand, Alef sent a stream of lightning from the sphere forward, striking the wall beside Anri and leaving a nasty looking smoldering crater in its wake.

“Anri, you're going to really regret fighting me in a few moments,” Alef sweetly called out to her opponent. “Just put your staff down and enter my service willingly. I promise you, it'll be a choice you will never regret! None do, and few of them are as dear to me as you!”

“Because you'll just alter my mind so that I never do!” Anri shot back, already casting another ice spell. Rather than try overt ice shards, this time a chilling wind whipped around Alef, draining the temperature away from her to dangerous levels in only a heartbeat. Alef huffed as her fur caked with frost and cast her own magic, a circle of fire lighting up around her to return the heat Anri had stolen.

“Yes, of course I will! What kind of monster would I be, to take you, keep you as mine, and allow for any possibility that you'd have an unhappy feeling or thought about it? Never regretting being mine is my _gift_ to you, Anri!”  Alef said, bringing the Demon Rod around again to counterspell the next attack Anri was attempting to prepare. Immediately afterward, she sent a rain of tiny fireballs towards the ice queen. Anri was not without her own defenses, though, and brought up a shield of snow to absorb and disperse the fiery missiles.

“Alef, the Demon Rod is controlling you, you've got to fight it!” Anri urged, changing her tactics by summoning a hail of fire on Alef with her Blaze magic. The fiery bolts pierced the electricity shield and burned into the foxling, who let out a cry of pain and disbelief. That cry soon turned to raucous laughter as Alef realized what Anri had just said.

“Controlling? Me? Are you serious? Is _that_ what you think is happening?”  Alef threw her head back and howled with mirth as Anri took this pause in the fight to collect herself and catch her breath. Alef fixed her with a joyful gaze. “No wonder you're so reluctant. Anri, since the moment I joined the Force, I've wanted nothing more than to seduce each and every one of the women in it. I dreamed of pleasuring you all so thoroughly, making you all so indescribably happy and in love with me, that you'd never be able to take another lover. I dreamed of retiring after the war with all of you desperately fighting for my attentions...Anri, this is  _me_. This rod has done nothing but give me the power and courage to do as I, myself, wish, and follow my dreams to their logical conclusion.

"Now that the war's over, I can do something even better than I'd thought at first. I'll take all of you as my slaves, and rule over your kingdom as a goddess of happiness and sensuality!” Alef's eyes seemed to glow in the low light of the ritual braziers and torches. “I had intended to only see if I could bed Khris or Tao before, the cute, unattached young things that they were. When I discovered the Demon Rod's true power, I realized I could have so much more, though, and I could do so much more for the world, for _your kingdom_ , than just save it a single time. I could recreate it all, keep it safe and happy _forever_ under my loving watch. The only thing that was keeping me back was fear of nonsensical rules and judgments. This is not some dastardly relic controlling me. This is me, Alef, your friend who wants the chance to love you. You don't need to fear this; the Demon Rod has only given me the means to achieve my dreams, Anri.”

“Even at the cost of your friends?!” Anri countered, stalling while she thought. Brute force was not working here. Alef had always been powerful, but with the Demon Rod fueling her, Anri faced a slow and painful war of attrition while her magical power was worn down. She had to fight smart if she wanted to survive this fight with her own mind intact. She had to think if she didn't want to become another enthralled slave of Alef's, indulging in the most obscene and decadent pleasures at her mistress' insistence, spreading her legs for her divine tongue every night and left hoarse from all the screaming she would do...

Anri bit her tongue hard and glared at Alef, who smiled and tapped the glowing Demon Rod with her fingers.

“Not all attacks are straightforward, you know,” Alef winked.

“I can see that,” Anri said, shaking off the attempt at mind control and bringing her staff up again. A plan was beginning to crystallize in her mind. A desperate hope began to blossom in her heart. “...but you never answered my question.”

“I thought the answer itself was clear,” Alef yawned. “I'm not giving any of you up. I would never do anything to lose the people I love. Quite the opposite; I'm _enhancing_ our relationships.”

“And I've just been buying time while I enhanced this!” Anri shouted, jabbing her staff at Alef. A fiery serpent burst from the ground to wrap around Alef, roaring its defiance even as Alef screamed and called forth a blinding pillar of lightning towards Anri. A chain of explosions began to rip apart the ritual chamber as smoke and debris began to fly everywhere...

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

Mae looked up from Tao's neck. Despite her misgivings, she had allowed the elven mage to first kiss, then embrace her, and then...well, then she sort of lost track as both of their hands grasped and massaged flesh, their mouths seeking each other out, tongues dancing, lips pressing to naked skin...

“What was that sound?” Mae asked, tilting an ear towards further down the hall.

“Just Anri and Alef,” Tao breathed, forcibly tearing down Mae's shirt with barely restrained lust, her eyes locked on the twin spheres of flesh she let loose. She immediately bent down and took one into her mouth, causing Mae to let out a yelp of pleasure. Mae brought a hand to gently caress the back of Tao's head. She could feel Tao's tongue swirl around her nipple, her teeth pressing lightly against her skin. Mae found herself whispering the elf's name as her hands began to undo the laces on Tao's bustier. Tao released Mae's breast and pressed their lips together once more for just a moment as she pushed Mae's hands away and undid her clothes herself with just a few motions, the thong and top fluttering to the floor, leaving Tao in only her boots and collar. Mae drank in that sight, a great need arising in her loins as lust began to conquer her sense.

The castle shook lightly and Mae looked around again as a dull rumble could be heard from deeper in the castle.

“That didn't sound like any magic I've ever heard of,” Mae said, stooping to grab her clothes. Tao put a hand on her arm to stop her.

“You're worrying over nothing. Minor tremors are common for magic of the sort they're casting,” Tao said, gently pulling the shirt back out of her hand.

“I thought they were just casting some scrying spells. Making sure everything was secured,” Mae asked. Tao considered this for a moment.

“The magic they're casting right now will secure Guardiana for generations to come, you're right about that,” Tao said. “It's a little more involved than just crystal ball shenanigans... but it should all be over shortly. I promise, if anything were going wrong, I would let you know. Until then, leave the magic to us mages.”

Mae frowned again as Tao wrapped her arms around her neck and whispered in her ear. “Stop thinking about your duty so much, Mae, Anri's fine. She can take care of herself,” Tao whispered. “And even if she couldn't, Alef's there with her...and nothing can stop my Mistress.”

“Your mis-” Mae began to say, but she was interrupted by Tao showing a remarkable display of elven agility by swinging her legs up and around Mae's midsection, locking them around her as she now hung from the horse. Mae stumbled a little as she was forced to rebalance herself. Tao immediately captured her lips for another kiss as she undulated her body against hers, pressing her larger breasts against Mae's smaller, more athletic ones. Mae could feel Tao's wet snatch sliding up and down the rock-hard muscles of her abs, Tao giving light moans through their kiss as she used Mae to pleasure herself. Another rumble rolled through the castle. Mae brought her arms down under Tao's thighs to better support her as she pressed the elf against a nearby wall.

“Just the ritual,” Mae thought. “It was all right. It was just the ritual...”

Mae tried to focus on the moans filling the air instead of the rumbles and the increasing unease in her heart.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

Smoke had reduced visibility in the large ritual chamber to a few feet at best, and it was also completely nullifying Alef's sense of smell. This was annoying in of itself, but the cinders in the air and the smoke was causing Alef's lungs, eyes, and nose to all burn simultaneously. It was not pleasant, and she was beginning to get rather annoyed that things had not gone as smoothly as she had thought they would. She didn't expect Anri to just give up, of course...that would be ludicrous. The woman was proud, intelligent, and prideful; she had to be, to be worthy of Alef herself. She hadn't expected quite this level of resistance, however. Alef had rather thought that baring her soul to Anri would at least cause her friend to hesitate a little. But Anri was showing more fight in her than Alef had seen since the battle of the Dragon, and even with the Demon Rod supplementing her, she was finding she could not afford to let her guard down. On one level, it was exhilarating to fight with someone that didn't either die or become her slave in the first five minutes of battle, but on the other hand, she had almost forgotten what it was like to feel the bite of a combat spell piercing magical defenses.

She hadn't cared much for that feeling.

Ideally by this time, Anri would've seen how useless her struggles were and submit to Alef's will, reluctantly or, preferably, happily. Maybe it was her love for Mae that kept her going? A fear that the new devotion to Alef she intended to plant into her mind would degrade that bond? Alef had already told her that it wouldn't, but she supposed Anri must not believe her. Alef scowled. It was a little insulting that Anri would think that Alef would do such a thing; she only wanted the best happiness for her friends and lovers. But she should have accounted for that skepticism. She had gotten sloppy with so many easy successes for so long, she should have...

“Alef...”

Alef looked up to see Anri, mage robes half-burnt off her body by the magical duel they had undergone, striding towards her with trembling lip and wide eyes.

“Alef, I was wrong,” Anri whispered, hand going up to run through her hair, down her cheek and neck. “I was wrong to fight you, I can see that now. We can pummel each other with magic all day, and in the end all that will happen is that we'll both be miserable and you'll still win.”

“Very true,” Alef said, fingering her Demon Rod as she looked at Anri's half-exposed form. “It would've been nice if you would have realized that at the start.”

“Maybe...” Anri said, letting her hand drift down to her robe and gently begin peeling off the wrecked fabric there. Alef could see the gentle curve of a pale breast be revealed and her breath quickened. Anri spoke again. “...but it was your mental assault that got me thinking.”

“Oh?” Alef asked, walking towards Anri. She'd thought her attempt with the Demon Rod's corruptive power had failed, but it was notoriously unpredictable even for her sometimes. Could it have actually succeeded once given a little time to worm its way deeper into the mage's mind? While Alef mused at this, Anri nodded and peeled off another strip of cloth.

“It's true that I could rule this kingdom without you, even maybe build a life for myself with Mae,” Anri said, reaching up and running her hands through her hair to get a few flecks of ash out of them. This motion also had the delicious effect of shifting Anri's breasts around for Alef to see, causing the foxling to lick her lips. Anri continued. “...but it would be so dull. It would be everything I've been having to do already, giving up all my time, all my energy for a horde of ungrateful people that would never understand. Why do that...” Anri gently tore open her already shredded robe to fully expose her upper half to Alef. She met her gaze with eyes half-lidded with lust. “...when I can let you teach me all over again. Teach me to be a dark monarch and live a life of pure pleasure, with no regard to consequence?”

“Anri... at last you begin to speak true wisdom,” Alef said, finally reaching her and reaching out to plant a firm kiss on her lips. Her tongue, still enhanced by the ritual she had used on Tao, thrust forward a bit to make it a kiss the mage queen would not soon forget. Anri gave a muffled moan as she placed her arms around Alef and drew her closer, pressing herself against the dark mage with an urgent need. Alef summoned her willpower and stepped back from the embrace, a sly smile on her face.

“Uh-uh, princess,” Alef said, wagging a finger. “Before I give you what I know you need...I want to hear you say it. Say it openly, and make me believe it after all this trouble you put me through. Say that I will be your queen, your Mistress. Your _Goddess_. Say that you will serve me in all things. If you do that...”  Alef tapped the Demon Rod against her hand. “I'll show you a side of yourself that you didn't even know existed.”

Anri looked at Alef for a moment, then nodded slowly, her hands going down to rid her of the remnants of the robe still clinging to her lower half.

“I swear that you will be my queen, Mistress, and my goddess,” Anri whispered, slowly pushing down the cloth and revealing a long, smooth white leg to Alef. Alef's grip on the Demon Rod tightened as she tried to restrain herself from simply taking her right then and there as she got a great view of Anri's breasts hanging down over her long, flawless leg. Anri continued, seemingly oblivious to the effect her actions were having on her future goddess. “I swear that I will serve you in all things, placing even your tiniest whim over even the things I once held dearest to me.” Anri finished her impromptu strip tease and tossed the garment away, meeting Alef's gaze once more. “I swear that I will warm your bed every night. I swear I will bend this queendom to your will, making all my subjects your slaves. I swear I bring my mightiest magic against any that might call you foe. Will you accept my humble service?”

“I would be the greatest of fools not to,” Alef mumbled, advancing towards Anri once more and wrapping her in a crushing embrace as their two mouths sought and met each other. Tongues danced passionately for a full minute before Alef broke it off and whispered her first command. “Undress me, slave-queen. I will not wait a second more for my finest conquest.”

Anri nodded and slowly began to undo the fasteners on Alef's robe, pulling the cloth off with a kind of reverence that thrilled Alef almost as much as everything else did. Anri gasped in joy to see Alef wore nothing underneath the simple robe, her slim, furred form fully naked to Anri's eyes. The queen of Guardiana ran her hands over Alef's front.

“It's been too long since I saw you like this,” Anri whispered.

“Too long,” Alef agreed. “I trust you remember what I taught you?”

Anri smiled and knelt before Alef, gently running her tongue over Alef's slit. Alef let out a low sigh despite herself, motioning for Anri to keep going. Her tongue caressed and circled Alef's clit, sensations that were almost electric moving through Alef's body as she did so. Alef allowed herself to sigh and let out soft, drawn out moans as she was pleasured, taking great joy in seeing the queen of the kingdom she had been guest in kneel before her, kneel before her to pleasure her even. She ran her clawed hands through the silver locks and idly played with her hair, so different than her own for just a few moments before stopping her new slave. She gestured and the Demon Rod floated in the air beside her, within easy reach before she lowered herself to the ground and pulled her new lover down with her.

The castle stone was not a soft or warm bed, but Alef would not wait even a second longer to consummate her latest union of mistress and slave. Anri was on top of her in a moment, lips pressed eagerly to hers as both of their hands went to work exploring and teasing each other. That only lasted for a minute however, as Anri's mouth went to Alef's breast, nuzzling the furred mounds much to Alef's delight. The foxling mage held the queen's head fast to her bosom, reveling in both the physical sensation and the mental knowledge that she was in full control of someone nearly her equal in power, intelligence, and magic.

“Soon, I will know what true feelings you have bottled up in that pretty head of yours,” Alef cooed, pushing Anri down to her pussy. The queen needed no further instruction, but gladly parted Alef's legs with her hands before lapping at her dripping slit. Alef sighed in contentment and continued. “Soon, I will know your every thought, your deepest, darkest desire...and I will change it to my whim.”

“Sounds wonderful,” Anri whispered, delirious as she returned to her lovemaking. Alef smiled.

“It will be. You have no idea how wonderful it really is, to be my slave. Every bit of you will be filled with your love for me, filled so that simply being in my presence will be an overwhelming joy,” Alef whispered. “You'll be like Tao...completely and utterly fulfilled your entire life. Doesn't that sound nice?”

Anri didn't respond verbally, instead bobbing her head up and down for a moment as she licked. Alef judged this to be a nod, and gave out a sudden low moan as a small orgasm rippled through her. Encouraged by this, Anri's mouth went to her clit and sucked on it, her fingers pressing into Alef's pussy, causing the dark mage to let out another happy cry.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

Mae moaned wantonly as Tao dived into her depths, the centaur knight grabbed the walls to keep her balance as the elven mage pleasured her most intimate place with skill she didn't even knew existed. Mae couldn't help but think that for a woman with such a delicate tongue it seemed to be everywhere at once, urging and coaxing her juices out again and again. Mae howled in delight as she came for the fifth time, grasping her now naked chest and tweaking her own nipples.

Tao for her part was focusing entirely on her mission, keeping Mae so distracted with sex that even her duty and love were temporarily forgotten. She all but dived into Mae's pussy, her hands and tongue moving as one to stimulate the centaur-knight. Despite not even laying a finger on herself, Tao was still enjoying her own pleasure, the increasingly loud cries of Mae giving her great satisfaction to hear. Mainly, she had a nice warm feeling spreading throughout her body from the knowledge she was serving her mistress, and serving her well. The knowledge of the rewards to come for that service tantalized her, but she had learned discipline well, and kept to her task. A stray thought sent a giddy thrill through her, the thought that soon Mae would also know the joys of submission. A sharp gasp heralding another orgasm ended that thought as Tao returned to work.

“It's a shame...” Mae whispered to no one in particular as she slumped against the wall, Tao still working at her.. “Anri doesn't know what she's missing out on.”

Tao's keen elven ears heard this comment, but the only response she gave it was to smile darkly for a moment before returning to her duties.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

“Yessss.... yesssss...” Alef cooed as Anri writhed on top of her. Her hands were clutching those perfect pale breasts that were destined to nurse her young. Her mouth was covering, dominating the tongue that would pronounce to the entire world Alef was to be Guardiana's new queen. Her pussy was rubbing against the thigh of one of the most desirable women in the entire continent of Rune.

She had won. She had finally won. As the two mages' bodies intertwined, writhed, and danced in pleasure, Alef thought this was the most perfect moment she had experienced, then quickly corrected herself. The Demon Rod came to her hand easily as she realized it needed just a little touch to make it complete. Summoning her power with what concentration she could muster in the middle of making love, she lightly touched Anri on the head with the rod even as she lowered herself to eat Alef out again. A light crimson glow enveloped Anri for but a moment, then vanished as a new brand appeared on Anri's right buttock, the name “Alef”. Alef sighed and let herself go. That simple symbol of submission was the last thing to make this victory total. It was the sweetest, the most fulfilling of her victories, the crowning achievement of her campaign of corruption. She would experiment later to see what other changes she felt like making to the queen, but for now...she would simply enjoy this.

Alef let her grip on the Demon Rod loose, the weapon sliding through her hands to clatter on the floor...

Except it didn't.

When the sound of metal clattering to stone floor never came, Alef's ears twitched and she opened her eyes, darting down to see Anri, fully clothed, grabbing the Demon Rod and pulling it away from her. Alef reflexively grabbed back on, but was dumbfounded for a moment. If Anri was there, then who...

She looked over to the woman she had been making love to only to see her vanish in a cloud of smoke and magic, leaving no trace save in lingering sensations of pleasure.

“A _muddle spell_?!”  Alef sputtered in disbelief. “It was all a muddle spell?! An illusion?!”

“Not all attacks are straightforward, you know?” Anri imitated Alef's voice, pulling as hard as she could on the Demon Rod. Alef gripped the weapon as hard as she could, straining to take it back. She found Anri's muscles up to matching hers and attempting to draw strength from the weapon she held to get the edge on her. Alef's eyes widened as the power didn't come. Or rather, it didn't come in the way she expected.

The Demon Rod's power flowed into both mages equally, offering its immense power to whoever proved strongest. Strongest did not mean who could pull harder.

Anri found herself fading in and out of consciousness as she struggled with Alef. One moment she was standing in the ruined remains of her ritual chamber, desperately straining to rip the Demon Rod from Alef's grasp, the next she was floating in some crimson expanse, grasping at tendrils of energy from a maelstorm of evil power that held Alef at its other end, doing the same. She felt the vague, instinctive conscious of the Demon Rod under her and Alef's touch. She felt Alef try to command it, try to press her will upon it, and immediately countered with her own, focusing on the ruby-pulsing weapon and drowning out Alef's commands with her own. Visions began to dance in front of Anri as magic whirled between herself and Alef.

Anri saw the future as from a great distance...in one, she sat in her throne with Mae beside her, both garbed in finery, ruling over her father's kingdom, now hers. Her friends were all there, and their children...and her children with Mae played with them all in the courtyard, half-breed daughters with two horse-like legs and the upper bodies of humans, the most beautiful, wonderful children imaginable...

In another future, she sat on that same throne with Mae at her side in dark armor, ruling over Guardiana not in peace and harmony, but in decadence and depravity. Her friends were all there as well, including Alef, but present only as slaves, be they for labor or for pleasure. Dark laughter echoed from her lips and a part of her she tried not to acknowledge stirred in her breast. For a brief moment she wondered in excitement at just what it would be like to live through that future, before the vision shifted once more.

She knew this vision well, because she'd had it before just minutes before. Alef ruled Guardiana now, with herself as her thrall-queen. Anri felt more control over the Rod shift to Alef as this happened, the foxling pulling herself together after the surprise attack.

Alef saw her dark dreams float in front of her once more, so close to realization she could almost taste a thousand slaves worshiping her as a goddess. She felt Anri's essence, her very soul tugging at the Demon Rod's power, pulling it away from her. She bared her fangs and pulled harder. She had worked so hard for this moment, she wasn't going to let any upstart Western Rune brat, not even one as dear to Alef as Anri, steal it away from her! The Demon Rod was hers! The future was hers! All the women of Guardiana, no, all the women of Rune were HERS!

The two women fought each other over the cursed weapon, bodies and wills alike vying for control of what had become the key to Guardiana's salvation or damnation. The Demon Rod throbbed with ruby light, the demonic eye set into it staring uncaring into the sky above, bathing two of the most powerful women in Rune in evil energy, revealing the secret, depraved wishes each held within her heart. So long as it brought darkness to Rune, it cared not who wielded it, nor what their plans where.

 

** \--- C --- C --- C--- **

 

And this was the exact point where fate broke apart, and the timeline split into four distinct futures: The Path of Light, the Path of Darkness, the Path of Neutrality, and the Path of Greed. This story is not completed until each of them is examined in turn...

 


End file.
